Balah el sham
Instructions
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Tips
When making choux pastry for balah el sham it is very important to allow the dough to cool before adding the eggs. If they are added to a hot dough, they will begin to coagulate, and you will end up with something resembling scrambled eggs. Wait until it is about 50°C (it should take 5-10 minutes, but you can use a cooking thermometer to measure the temperature to make sure) before you add and incorporate 1 egg at a time. Use about 2 minutes to incorporate each egg and remember to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with each added egg.
Questions about balah al sham
With a good balah al sham recipe in your repertoire, making these delicious fried treats becomes quite easy. To learn more about the dessert bites, read on below.
Ingredients
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Cream
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170 g |
|---|---|
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Water
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240 ml |
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Butter
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225 g |
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Flour
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240 g |
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Salt
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1 pinch |
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Eggs
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4 |
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Vanilla essence
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1 tsp |
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Baking powder
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1 tsp |
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Crushed pistachios
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100 g |
Traditional balah el sham with cream filling and pistachios
Popular with children and adults alike, balah el sham makes for delicious finger food. The choux pastry treats, which are sometimes referred to as dates because of their elongated shape, offer a wonderful eating experience with plenty of different textures. While balah el sham is a sweet dish with hints of buttery goodness and warm, floral vanilla, it is not an overly sweet dessert. The rich, creamy filling and the crunchy, nutty pistachios suit the choux pastry exceedingly well and combine to create a well-rounded pastry treat.
If you are looking for other traditional and tasty desserts for iftar, you might like to try fried qatayef and mafroukeh, which both feature some of the same ingredients as balah el sham but with different types of pastry. You can also opt for dishes like yoghurt tiramisu with cream and mini fruit tartlets if you want desserts with flavour profiles that are completely different to balah el sham.
Sweet Arabic choux pastry dessert bites
Choux pastry has a buttery yet neutral flavour that makes it well suited for savoury as well as sweet dishes. Its amazing ability to puff up as it is cooked or baked gives it a wonderful texture that sets it apart from other types of pastry. As its outer shell becomes crispy, its inside remains light and airy.
When fried, as in this balah el sham recipe, this contrast between the crunchy outside and the tender soft inside becomes even more pronounced. It is precisely what makes eating puffed-up balah el sham with velvety cream and crunchy nuts so wonderful.
Make the perfect fried balah el sham
Besides making a good choux pastry, a perfect balah el sham is all about frying. It is what gives the dessert its unique golden look and a crunchy texture on the outside while soft inside. Using a star-tipped piping bag, pipe the balah el sham choux pastry directly into the oil. Unlike when cooking the similar Spanish churros, the oil should not be very hot. In fact, you should be able to comfortably stick a finger into it!
Though it is a bit more time-consuming, frying balah el sham in warm oil, as opposed to hot oil, allows the choux pastry to puff up nicely and gain a plumper appearance as well as a fluffy interior. Alternatively, you can place the balah el sham into room temperature oil, turn the heat up to medium, cook them until they start to float, turn them, and continue cooking them until they are golden brown.
As you cook the balah el sham, they will expand quite a lot so be sure not to place too many into the saucepan at a time. Cook them until their exterior is a deep golden brown to ensure a crispy exterior.
Experiment with dips and toppings
Though cream-filled balah el sham are great as they are, serving them with a dipping sauce on the side does not take away from their deliciousness. They taste great with a range of different options like a rich chocolate sauce, an intensely sweet date and caramel sauce, a delicate orange blossom jam, or a simple labneh with honey.
You can, of course, also mix up our recipe for balah el sham by experimenting with other toppings. Different nuts such as walnuts and almonds are delicious options if you feel like swapping out the pistachios. However, mixing these traditional green nuts with tangy, dried cranberries or freeze-dried raspberries makes for a beautiful display of balah el sham with red and green colours. It also gives the treats a bit of additional texture.
Homemade balah el sham also tastes delicious with fresh fruits and berries. Try using tasty options like peach, mango, and strawberries to discover your favourite way to serve the traditional dessert.
