Crispy Balah El Sham That Never Bursts
Balah el sham bursts or splits in the oil for two reasons: the dough was not cooked enough on the heat, and frying in oil that was already hot. The dough must pull away from the sides of the pan, and the frying must start in cold oil with the heat rising gradually.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Calories
- 170
Photo: Garry Knight from London, England — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Balah el sham is one of the most popular Egyptian Ramadan sweets, and the hardest part is stopping it bursting or splitting in the oil. The secret lies in two points, and most recipes mention only one of them.
Method
-
1
Syrup first
Boil the sugar and water for 8 minutes and add the lemon juice, then take it off and let it cool completely. Cold syrup on hot balah el sham is the secret to the crunch.
⏱ 12 min -
2
Boil the liquid
Bring the water, butter, sugar and salt to a full boil. It must be a rolling boil, not just bubbles at the edges.
⏱ 5 min -
3
Add the flour
Take it off the heat, add the flour all at once and beat hard with a wooden spoon until it gathers into a ball.
⏱ 3 min -
4
Cook the dough
Return it to low heat and keep stirring for 5 minutes until the dough pulls completely away from the sides of the pan and becomes a smooth ball. This is the step that prevents splitting in the oil.
⏱ 6 min -
5
Add the eggs
Let the dough cool for 10 minutes, then add the eggs one at a time, beating hard after each. Eggs into hot dough cook and form lumps.
⏱ 14 min -
6
Fry from cold oil
Fill a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe fingers into cold oil, then raise the heat gradually. Cold oil lets them expand slowly and go hollow inside.
⏱ 22 min -
7
Dip
Lift them out golden and dip them in the cold syrup for just 30 seconds, then lift onto a rack. Any longer and they soak through and soften.
⏱ 5 min
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Tips that actually matter
- Frying starts in cold oil with the heat rising gradually — hot oil from the start browns the outside and leaves the inside raw.
- The dough must pull completely away from the sides — the sign the starch is cooked and it will not split.
- Hot into cold: hot balah el sham, cold syrup. Both hot means soft and soggy.
- The star nozzle is not decoration — the ridges prevent bursting in the oil and add crunch.
People also ask
Why does my balah el sham split in the oil?
The dough was not cooked enough on the heat. It must pull completely away from the sides and form a cohesive ball — 5 minutes of continuous stirring after the flour goes in.
Why is it solid instead of hollow?
The oil was hot from the start. Begin frying in cold oil and raise the heat gradually — the slow heat lets steam build inside and create the cavity.
Why does it soften after the syrup?
The syrup was warm, or you left them in too long. The syrup must be completely cold, and the dip 30 seconds at most, then straight onto a rack.
Cook mode
Crispy Balah El Sham That Never Bursts
-
1
Syrup first
Boil the sugar and water for 8 minutes and add the lemon juice, then take it off and let it cool completely. Cold syrup on hot balah el sham is the secret to the crunch.
-
2
Boil the liquid
Bring the water, butter, sugar and salt to a full boil. It must be a rolling boil, not just bubbles at the edges.
-
3
Add the flour
Take it off the heat, add the flour all at once and beat hard with a wooden spoon until it gathers into a ball.
-
4
Cook the dough
Return it to low heat and keep stirring for 5 minutes until the dough pulls completely away from the sides of the pan and becomes a smooth ball. This is the step that prevents splitting in the oil.
-
5
Add the eggs
Let the dough cool for 10 minutes, then add the eggs one at a time, beating hard after each. Eggs into hot dough cook and form lumps.
-
6
Fry from cold oil
Fill a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe fingers into cold oil, then raise the heat gradually. Cold oil lets them expand slowly and go hollow inside.
-
7
Dip
Lift them out golden and dip them in the cold syrup for just 30 seconds, then lift onto a rack. Any longer and they soak through and soften.
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