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Alewa
Pulled sugar sweets
Hausa pulled sugar sweets handed to children at Sallah
Alewa is the chewy pulled sugar sweet of Hausa northern Nigeria, cooked from just sugar, water and a squeeze of lime, then stretched by hand until it turns pale and satiny. Pocketfuls are given to children on Sallah, the Eid al-Fitr holiday, as they go from house to house in new clothes. The taste is clean caramel with a little sharpness from the lime. An adult should do the hot pulling. Chef's tip: oil your hands and the worktop well and pull while the sugar is still hot enough to bend; once it cools it sets hard and won't stretch.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 14 oz white sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp vegetable oilfor your hands and the tray
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Oil a heatproof tray or marble board with a little of the 2 tbsp vegetable oil.
2 minStep 2: Put the 14 oz white sugar, ½ cup water and 1 tbsp lime juice in a heavy pan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Then stop stirring and boil until it reaches 300°F on a sugar thermometer, about 15–20 minutes. Without a thermometer, a drop in cold water should snap. A common mistake is stirring while it boils, which makes the sugar turn grainy.
20 minStep 3: Pour onto the oiled tray and leave for 3–5 minutes until the edges are firm enough to lift but the middle is still soft.
5 minStep 4: Oil your hands with the rest of the 2 tbsp vegetable oil. Fold the edges in, then lift the mass and pull it into a rope, fold it back on itself and pull again, for 5–8 minutes, until it turns opaque and pale gold.
8 minStep 5: Pull into a thin rope and snip into 3 cm pieces with oiled scissors. Leave to harden, then wrap or keep in an airtight jar for up to 2 weeks.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 80 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does alewa take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of white sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lime juice?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
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