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Balaleet
Balaleet: Emirati sweet saffron vermicelli topped with a thin omelette
Sweet noodles for breakfast surprise visitors, but in the UAE and Qatar balaleet is the dish of Eid mornings and lazy weekend brunches. Fine vermicelli is toasted in butter, then steamed with sugar, saffron, cardamom and rose water until soft and glossy, and finally capped with a thin, salty-edged omelette. The contrast of sweet, fragrant noodles and savoury egg is the whole point, so serve them together in one wedge. Chef's tip: toast the vermicelli until it is the colour of a biscuit; pale noodles taste flat and floury.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the vermicelli
For the omelette
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Crumble ¼ tsp saffron threads into 1 tbsp rose water and leave to steep while you cook the noodles.
Step 2: Melt 1 oz butter or ghee in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add 7 oz fine wheat vermicelli and stir constantly for 3–4 minutes until it turns an even biscuit brown and smells nutty. Common mistake: walking away here; the thin noodles go from golden to burnt in seconds.
4 minStep 3: Carefully pour in 1 ¾ cups water (it will spit), then add 2 ½ oz sugar and ½ tsp ground cardamom. Stir, cover and cook over a low heat for 6–8 minutes until the noodles are soft and the water is absorbed.
8 minStep 4: Sprinkle the saffron rose water over the noodles, toss gently with a fork, cover and leave on the lowest heat for 2 minutes so they turn golden and glossy. Keep covered off the heat.
2 minStep 5: Beat 3 eggs with ¼ tsp salt and 1 pinch ground turmeric. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a 24 cm non-stick pan over a medium heat, pour in the eggs and tilt to make a thin layer. Cook 2 minutes, until set on top with no wet patches; there's no need to flip.
2 minStep 6: Pile the vermicelli on a plate and slide the omelette on top (or cut it into strips). Serve warm, cutting through both layers so each portion has some of each.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does balaleet take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of butter or ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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