Asabe’ Zeinab (Arabic Sweet)

By

As requested

I have received many requests for this recipe and have always kept it on my task list to make, photograph and post. However, partly being very fully scheduled, and partly because I have limited making sugary foods (I always end up convincing myself to have more) … ! I have finally managed to get myself to tick this recipe off my task list 🙂

So here you go, the recipe for this best loved and delicious (however naughty) Arabic cookies popular in the Levant and North Africa, the name of which literally means Zeinab’s Fingers.

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe sugar syrup (recipe on this link)
  • Flavorless vegetable oil for frying
  • 2 cups fine semolina
  • 3 cups organic all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tbsp ground fennel seeds
  • 2 tbsp ground anise
  • 1 tsp ground mehlepi (Mahlab)
  • 1 tsp nigella seeds
  • 2tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 cup DS Premium organic extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cup water

In a large bowl, mix well together the semolina, organic flour, baking soda, seeds and ground seeds. Add the olive oil and rub the mixture well between your palms to moisten all. Gradually add the water and mix until you have a firm dough.

Place the dough in a bowl, cover and leave to rest for a couple of hours.

After resting, line a large baking sheet with baking paper. And start shaping the finger. To shape, take 1 tbsp of dough and roll between your palms into a thick finger (sausage).

Roll the fingers back and forth over a firm large holed sieve to create impressions over them as you can see in the picture. Line the rolled and impressed fingers over the lined baking sheet and continue to shape the rest of the quantity as such.

Once done, heat the frying oil. Meanwhile place the prepared sugar syrup in a pot next to you.

Once the oil is heated add a few fingers at a time and fry them over medium heat until golden. Once golden remove the cookies and dip them straightaway in the sugar syrup pushing them in to make sure they are fully covered with the syrup. Repeat the process with all the quantity.

Line on a serving plate and serve cold with tea.

Have a very sweet day 🙂

You may also like…