Recipes: AL LEGAMAT (Fried Dumplings in Syrup)

Al Legamat is a favourite Gulf dessert, often served during Ramadan. It is also known in other Arab countries where it is sometimes called “Owamat” or “Loqmat Al Qadhi”. There are various legamat recipes, some include yogurt, eggs, corn flour, potato, starch… etc. The following recipe is the original Arabian Gulf recipe.

3 cups sieved all-purpose flour
1 cup sieved fine brown flour
2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup warm water
½ teaspoon cardamom powder
water to make a semi-liquid dough (approx. 2-2 ½ cups)
a few saffron threads or
a pinch of saffron powder soaked in
2 tablespoons rose water
oil for frying

Syrup:
4 cups sugar
2 cups water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 whole cardamoms, partially opened
a few saffron threads or
a pinch of saffron powder soaked in
3 tablespoons rose water

1. To prepare the syrup, combine the sugar and water, stir on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, skim off the white froth as it forms.
2. Stir in the lemon juice, add cardamom. Boil until the syrup thickens and pours from a spoon in a continuous flow (about 1 min.).
3. Remove from heat, add rose water and saffron. Set aside.
4. Dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar plus 1 tablespoon flour in ½ cup warm water. Cover, set aside in a warm place for 5-10 min., until froth forms on the top.
5. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour and cardamom, make a well in the center, pour in the yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons rose water. Mix, gradually adding warm water while mixing until a loose dough is formed with a consistency similar to that of thin yogurt. Mix well to remove any lumps. Use an electric mixer, if necessary.
6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel wrung out in boiling water. Allow the mixture to rise for 3-4 hrs. in a warm place or in a closed oven.
7. Mix lightly by hand. Heat oil in a deep frying pan.
8. Reduce heat to medium. Wet right hand fingers with cold water, take a small piece of the thick batter and roll between the thumb, pointer and index finger to form a small ball.
9. Place hand over the oil, slide the thumb along the index and the pointer fingers, dropping the ball into the hot oil. Repeat until the surface of the oil is covered. Avoid over-filling the pan to prevent the expanded balls from sticking to each other as they rise.
10. Turn the Legamat while frying to obtain an even golden colour.
11. Test the inside of one of the golden Legamat and if not cooked, reduce heat to prevent the Legamat from browning from the outside while the inside is not completely cooked.
12. Remove the golden Legamat from the oil using a perforated spoon, shake the spoon to get rid of excess oil. Drop into the syrup. Use another perforated spoon to turn the Legamat a few times in the syrup. Remove from the syrup and allow the Legamat to stand in a strainer to drain off excess syrup. Avoid packing the hot Legamat on top of each other to prevent them from becoming soggy.
13. Serve with Arabic coffee.

Notes:

• Reduce the water used to prepare the dough by ½ cup to obtain a thicker batter. Take enough dough to fill your left hand palm, clench your palm. Hold a teaspoon in your right hand to slice off the ball that pops out between the left thumb and the pointer fingers. Use the right hand thumb to slide the ball into the hot oil in the frying pan.
  
  
• Avoid contaminating the spoon used for frying with syrup, as this will cause oil spurting and darken its colour making the Legamat brown on the outside before it is completely cooked.
  
  
• If a less sweet Legamat is desired, allow all the fried Legamat to stand in a strainer, then pour the syrup on top, or alternatively dip batches of the Legamat in syrup, turn once only, then strain to drain off excess syrup. Then serve.

AL LEGAMAT BIE’L DEBS (Fried Dumplings with Date Syrup)

In the above recipe, omit syrup. After frying, drop the Legamat in date syrup or dripple date syrup on the fried Legamat placed in a serving dish and gently turn to coat the Legamat from all sides. Sprinkle with coarsely ground cardamom and serve with Arabic coffee.