Awamat (Lebanese doughnuts)

The fried balls have a crispy brown exterior with a dense sugar syrup interior. A vegan, dairy free and egg free recipe and a crowd pleaser both in taste and quantity – though a bit of project but tasting the final product makes it all worthy!!

What ingredients go into awamat?

- All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour has a moderate protein content, it helps the batter hold without producing an overly chewy awamat!
- Cornstarch: It helps in browning and creating a super crisp crust!
- Potato: Most people don’t use potatoes to make awamat, but I believe they should! This magic ingredient helps the awamat absorb the sugar syrup way better! They don’t taste like mashed potatoes at all, so no worries here!
- Active dry yeast: It is the leavening ingredient to help the batter rise! It does require some rising time, usually 1 to 11/2 hours
- A very small pinch of salt: This very small pinch of salt will enhance the natural flavor, you won’t taste the salt!
- Lukewarm water: Lukewarm water activates the yeast better! But beware boiling and hot water can damage or kill the yeast!

Tips For Making Best Awamat!

- For best looking round balls, scoop out a little of the batter, enough to fill your hand.  Squeeze your fist hand enough to push a ball dough between your thumb and index finger, the size of a cherry. This may look like a complicated process, but believe me it is not. Watch the video to make it easier for you to understand. Anyway, if you have difficulty scooping the dough with your hands, you may place the dough in a pastry bag with a plain tip and start squeezing the pastry bag to pop up the balls, but definitely with your hands you are able to create better looking balls.
- One secret you need to know for making crispy awamat! In order to get a perfect awamat, you need to use a double fry method. This will cook the awamat balls way through, while also achieving the -golden delicious crust that everyone loves.
- The sugar syrup should be room temperature when dipping the hot fried awamat!

Ingredients:

2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
¼ teaspoon salt
1 medium-sized potato, boiled to fork tender
2 tablespoons corn flour/ cornstarch
2 cups lukewarm water

Sugar syrup
3 cups granulated sugar
11/2 cups water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange blossom water

4 cups vegetable or sunflower oil

Directions:

1. Prepare the sugar syrup: Add the water, sugar and lemon juice to a saucepan and cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the mixture starts boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 7 minutes.  Add the orange blossom water, remove from heat and set aside.

2. Place the potato in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain. When cool enough to handle, peel the potato and mash well with a potato masher, leaving no lumps.

3. Transfer the mashed potato to a large bowl, add the flour, active dry yeast, cornstarch and the lukewarm water. Whisk the batter until it becomes smooth.  Cover the batter with cling film and store for 11/2 hours or until it doubles in size.

4. In a large deep heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil to an adequate frying temperature.

5. Scoop out a little dough, enough to fill your hand.  Squeeze your fist hard enough to push a ball between your thumb and index finger, the size of a cherry.  Watch the video to make it easier for you to understand.

6. Drop into the hot oil, and start frying the balls in batches, as to not crowd the oil.  Reduce heat to medium, and stir every now and then until the balls start to firm up a bit and turn to pale yellow.  Watch the video!! Remove with a slotted spoon. Repeat until you have fried the whole batter.

7. Return the fried balls to the hot oil, you need to do that in 3 batches, and fry again the awamat to a brown golden color. The double frying makes the awamat crispier.

8. Remove with a slotted spoon, and drop into the sugar syrup. Allow the balls to absorb the sugar, for about 2-3 minutes. Remove the balls from sugar syrup and transfer to a serving dish, enjoy!!

Recipe by Hadias Cuisine