Balah el-Sham
Syrian Balah el-Sham (fried choux fingers) is made from a dough containing flour, starch, powdered milk, vanilla, water, and butter. Eggs are added one at a time after the dough has cooled. The dough is shaped into cold oil using scissors, then the oil is gradually heated until the fingers are cooked and golden. They are then dipped directly into syrup made with water, sugar, and citric acid.
A Syrian fried pastry dessert made in a finger shape and finished with syrup.
Like churros or fried syrup pastries.
Fry in hot oil and add syrup after frying for the best texture.
Ingredients
- 2 Eggs
- 150 g or 1 large cup Flour
- 200 g or 1 cup Water
- 50 g or 3 tablespoons Starch
- 50 g or 2 tablespoons Butter
- 50 g or 4 tablespoons Powdered milk
- 1 heaped teaspoon Vanilla
- 3 cups Water
- 6 cups Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Citric acid
- for frying Oil
Instructions
- Sift the dry ingredients—flour, starch, powdered milk, and vanilla—into a bowl.
- Place the water and butter in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts.
- Add the dry-ingredient mixture to the saucepan in batches, stirring quickly over medium heat until a cohesive dough forms and is lightly toasted.
- Transfer the dough to a bowl and leave it to cool.
- Place the cooled dough in a mixer and add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each egg until the texture becomes soft.
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a suitable tip.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan, then leave it cold while shaping; cut the dough with scissors into finger-shaped pieces directly into the oil.
- Place the frying pan over medium heat until the oil heats up, then lower the heat so the fingers cook slowly, puff up, and turn golden.
- Turn the fingers gently so they color evenly on all sides.
- Remove the fried fingers from the oil and place them directly into the prepared syrup.
- Turn the fingers gently in the syrup and leave them for about five minutes, then drain and serve.