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Lalagia
Fried dough twists
Lalángia: Mani fried dough twists for Christmas and the fasting days, with sesame
Lalagia are the savoury cousins of diples, twisted ropes of olive-oil dough that women in the Mani fry by the hundred in the days before Christmas and on Clean Monday, when they're eaten with olives, cheese or a drizzle of honey. The dough is plain and lightly yeasted, rolled into thin cords, folded and twisted into figures of eight, then fried until crunchy and blond. They keep for weeks in a tin. Common mistake: frying in oil that's too hot, which browns the outside before the centre crisps. Chef's tip: keep the dough cords as thin as a pencil — they puff a lot in the oil.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- ⅛ oz instant dried yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 orangezest and juice
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 tbsp sesame seeds
- 4 ¼ cups sunflower or light olive oilfor deep-frying
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ⅛ oz instant dried yeast, 1 tsp salt and 3 tbsp sesame seeds in a bowl. Add ¼ cup olive oil, the zest and juice of 1 orange and 1 cup warm water and knead to a smooth, firm dough, about 8 minutes.
8 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place until puffy but not quite doubled.
60 minStep 3: Pinch off walnut-sized pieces and roll each into a rope about 40 cm long and as thin as a pencil. Fold in half, twist the two strands together and pinch the ends.
Step 4: Heat 4 ¼ cups sunflower or light olive oil in a deep pan to 325°F. Fry the twists a few at a time, turning, until light golden and crisp right through, 3–4 minutes.
25 minStep 5: Drain on kitchen paper and cool completely before storing in an airtight tin. Serve with olives and cheese, or with honey for something sweet.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 41 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lalagia take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 90 minutes to prepare and 30 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.
- 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 orange?
- Mandarins or clementines, same weight.
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