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Dubulan
Honey-drizzled dough spirals
Hausa and Kanuri honey-drizzled dough spirals for Sallah and weddings
Dubulan are crisp spirals of thin fried dough from northern Nigeria, piled onto trays for Eid al-Fitr, known locally as Sallah, and for weddings among Hausa and Kanuri families. Each ribbon of rolled-out egg dough is wound loosely around a fork as it fries, so it sets into a light, crackly rosette, then honey or syrup is trickled over the top. They keep well in a tin for visitors through the festival days. Chef's tip: roll the dough so thin you can almost see through it; thick ribbons stay hard instead of shattering.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 10 ½ oz plain flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 oz buttermelted
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup cold water
To fry and finish
- 4 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
- ½ cup honey or sugar syrup
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix the 10 ½ oz plain flour and ¼ tsp salt in a bowl. Beat the 2 eggs with the 1 oz butter and ¼ cup cold water, pour into the flour and knead for 5 minutes into a firm, smooth dough.
10 minStep 2: Wrap and rest for 15 minutes so it rolls out easily.
15 minStep 3: Divide into 4 pieces. Roll each out on a lightly floured worktop as thinly as possible, then cut into ribbons 3 cm wide and 30 cm long.
10 minStep 4: Heat the 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a deep pan to 350°F. Lower one ribbon in by its end, catch it with a fork and turn the fork to wind it into a loose spiral as it fries. Fry for 1–2 minutes until pale golden and crisp, then lift out. A common mistake is overcrowding the pan, which drops the heat and makes the spirals greasy.
25 minStep 5: Drain on kitchen paper and cool. Warm the ½ cup honey or sugar syrup slightly and drizzle it over just before serving, or store the plain spirals in an airtight tin for up to a week.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dubulan take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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