Black Sesame Arabic Donuts w/Date Molasses

Last week I told you all about my yeast fiasco and how it wasn’t proofing, but this week I at least got that straight! I tasted these while staying with a good friend in Bahrain – she made them for afternoon tea, and I knew I was going to come home and work on my own version. I’ve just never tasted a donut like this – with cardamom, (black) sesame seeds for nuttiness, and, though I know it looks sticky sweet, not-too-sweet date molasses as the glaze. It’s the perfect little treat.

The original dish is called luqaimat or luqmat, and they are often described as fermented, sweet dumplings; they’re eaten year-round but especially around Ramadan and may be glazed with sugar syrup rather than date molasses. But as with most foods, these balls of fried dough aren’t 100% unique. They are related to loukamades, a Greek version, and are loosely similar to Indian jalebiand even Italian zeppole.

And the reality is that what I had in Bahrain had a hollower, lighter and crisper texture. When I watched this batter being made, it was completely by eye and water (rather than milk) was added to achieve the right batter consistency. I turned these guys into more of a donut (much closer to zeppole) for my own purposes. I love them this way but will continue to experiment and play around with quantities to see what I others end up liking the best.

Regardless, these are hard to resist – crispy and doughy at the same time, perfumed with cardamom and saffron, a touch of sesame for nuttiness and that tangy, addictive date molasses…Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields approximately 2 dozen donuts

3/4 cup milk

¼ cup sugar

1 packet active dry yeast (2 ¼ tsps)

1 cup flour

½ tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp salt

pinch saffron

2 tbsps black sesame seeds, toasted

3 tbsps yoghurt, room temperature

oil for frying

¼ cup date molasses

Procedure

In a small saucepan, heat milk to just warm and remove from the heat. If it gets too hot, it will kill the yeast – you should still be able to dip your finger in it with no problem (110°-115° F). Add the sugar and the yeast and stir to combine. Let sit 10 minutes. It should start to bubble and get foamy (if not, your yeast may no longer be active).

In a bowl, sift together the flour, cardamom and salt. Add the saffron and the black sesame seeds to the flour mixture and whisk to combine. Add the yoghurt to the warm milk/yeast mixture, whisk to combine and then whisk it into the flour mixture. You want to make the batter uniform and lump free. Transfer to a greased bowl – cover and keep in a warm place for 2 hours.

Heat 2 to 3 inches of your preferred frying oil in a large pot to 325° F. Using a small ice cream scoop (or spoon), spoon uniform balls of the batter into the hot oil. Fry for 5 to 7 minutes until the donuts turn a dark golden brown. Continuously move them around and flip them so that they get evenly browned. Transfer to a rack or paper towels to degrease.

Toss the fried donuts with the date molasses while they are still warm and serve as soon as possible.

Mandazi (East African Donuts)

One of my earliest cooking memories was when I asked my aunt to teach me how to make mandazis. I think I was about 8 or 9 years old, and I was very serious about learning how to do these. For some reason, we wouldn’t make these delectable little donuts at home. I got to eat them when I traveled to see my family, and only the old school grandmas and aunties knew the secret. Of course, East African restaurants were pretty much nonexistent in Florida where I grew up (not that I can find any now that serve these in NYC…I’m just saying). So I felt I had to carry on the tradition!

Of course, the dish was a bit ambitious for an 8 year old (in one ear…and out the other!), and I was more focused on enjoying the fruits of my aunt’s and my labor than on getting the technique down. As an adult, however, I decided I wanted to perfect my own using the tad more culinary knowledge I now have.

I should be clear: mandazis are savoury. They shouldn’t be too sweet or too salty. One of my most treasured food memories is sitting, facing the Indian Ocean, in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania, using the (hollow) mandazis to scoop up a tender stew of pigeon peas in coconut milk with fresh chilies and cilantro (called barazi). But, of course, you can eat them however you like; I’m partial now to having them for breakfast.

These are very easy to make. A little yeast leavens the dough, and I use a combination of all-purpose and rice flour to make them even lighter. A touch of sweetness, lightly coconut-scented, and that signature cardamom flavor. Heavenly…Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields 2 dozen donuts

¼ cup sugar

1 ½ tsp yeast

2/3 cup warm water

½ cup coconut milk

1 ¾ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup rice flour

¾ tsp salt

3 tbsp dried grated coconut (preferably unsweetened, adjust sugar if not)

¾ – 1 ¼ tsps ground cardamom*

oil for frying

salt & powdered sugar

Procedure

This can easily be made in a stand mixer or by hand.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water and let bloom 5-10 minutes. It should become foamy and frothy. Turn the mixer on low and add coconut milk.

In a separate bowl, sift flours together and mix in salt, grated coconut and cardamom. Add contents to liquids in the mixer and knead on low for 5 to 10 minutes. Conversely, you can also knead by hand – the dough should get pretty smooth (except for the grated coconut) and relatively sticky.

Transfer dough to a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for a minimum of 2 hours.

On a floured work surface, divide dough into 4 even pieces. Form each piece into a ball and flatten to a disc. Roll each circle out to about ¼” thick and cut like a pie into six triangular pieces. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet while working on each piece.

In a dutch oven or pot, heat 3 to 4 inches of oil to 360 F. Working in batches, carefully drop a few triangles into the oil. Don’t overcrowd or the oil temperature will drop. As soon as the triangles puff, quickly flip them over. This will ensure that both sides cook – if they become lopsided, it will be hard to keep them on the less inflated side to brown. Cook for a few minutes, flipping at intervals until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet and lighltly salt.

Before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

They are best served warm as they can get a touch chewy once they’ve cooled. If you need to reheat, do so in a very low oven or on a low power in the microwave.

*Traditionally, cardamom is roughly ground and added to the mandazi batter. This results in biting into delightful pieces of cardamom while eating the donuts. I add about 1 ¼ teaspoons when I’m using roughly ground cardamom and more like ¾ teaspoon when I use the powdered / ground form.

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Black Sesame Arabic Donuts w/Date Molasses

Mandazi (East African Donuts)