EgyptianSawabe' Zeinab
Fried semolina fingers in syrup
Sawabe' Zeinab: little ridged semolina fingers, fried and dipped in syrup for Ramadan nights
Named 'Zeinab's fingers', these little fried sweets turn up on Egyptian Ramadan tables next to balah el sham, and they are easy to make in a home kitchen with a cheese grater for the ridges. A soft semolina and ghee dough is rolled into fingers, fried crisp and soaked in syrup, giving them a crunchy shell and a dense, slightly grainy, buttery middle. Serve them cool with tea or coffee after iftar. The key to a crisp finish is temperature contrast: hot fingers into cold syrup. If both are hot, they go soggy. Avoid dipping hot fingers into hot syrup; one of the two must be cool, or the fingers turn soggy instead of crisp. Chef's tip: rolling each piece over the back of a fine grater makes deep grooves that hold more syrup.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 8
- Per serving
- 360 kcal
Ingredients
For the syrup
- 10 ½ oz sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp orange blossom water (optional)
For the dough
- 5 ½ oz fine semolina
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ⅛ oz gheemelted
- ½ cup lukewarm milkabout
- 4 ¼ cups sunflower oilfor deep-frying
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Make the syrup: boil 10 ½ oz sugar and ¾ cup water, stirring until dissolved, then simmer until slightly syrupy. Add 1 tsp lemon juice and 1 tsp orange blossom water, if using, and chill it while you make the fingers.
10 minStep 2: Mix 5 ½ oz fine semolina, 5 ½ oz plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp instant yeast and 1 tbsp sugar in a bowl. Rub in 2 ⅛ oz ghee with your fingertips until the semolina looks evenly moistened.
Step 3: Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and ½ cup lukewarm milk gradually, kneading lightly until you have a soft dough that doesn't stick to your hands. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Pinch off pieces the size of a large olive and roll each over the back of a fine grater or along a fork, pressing gently, into a ridged finger about 5 cm long.
Step 5: Heat 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil to 350°F. Fry the fingers in batches, stirring, until deep golden and crisp all over.
5 minStep 6: Lift out, drain briefly and drop the hot fingers into the cold syrup. Leave for 1–2 minutes, then lift onto a rack. Repeat with the rest.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sawabe' Zeinab take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 35 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.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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