Luqaimat

Name: Luqaimat
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 100 g cream cheese, cooked; 240 ml milk; 240 g flour; 240 ml vegetable oil; 1 tsp yeast; 100 g chopped walnuts; 720 ml vegetable oil; 240 ml water; 400 g sugar; 1 tsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp rose water; walnuts; chestnuts

Traditional luqaimat recipes date all the way back to Medieval times. These golden-brown delights have, as such, been enjoyed for generations upon generations. In our take on the classic treat, we have chosen to stuff them with a delicious cream cheese filling with chopped walnuts and chestnuts on top. As tradition prescribes, they are covered in homemade syrup flavoured with rosewater and sprinkled with nuts. Try our traditional, easy luqaimat recipe this Ramadan to make bite-sized, sweet, and cheesy snacks that will delight everyone.

https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/recipes/luqaimat/

Instructions

In a bowl, mix milk and vegetable oil.
In a different bowl, mix flour and yeast.
Pour the milk and oil mixture into the bowl with dry ingredients and mix well. You may need to use your hands to knead the dough (it should be loose and stretchy).
Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let the dough proof for at least 30 minutes, preferably 1 hour, somewhere warm (it should be about double in size).
Chop walnuts finely.
Roll out the dough and cut out circles.
Place a tablespoon of cooked cream cheese on each circle, sprinkle with walnuts, and then seal it and roll it into a ball.
Fry them in vegetable oil until they become golden in colour.
To prepare the syrup, place sugar and water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5 minutes without stirring. Mix in the lemon juice and rosewater and remove from the heat. Leave to cool.
Dip the fried balls in the syrup, then top with walnuts and chestnuts.

Enjoy!

Questions about luqaimat

With the best luqaimat recipe in hand, making tasty iftar treats for Ramadan is quick and easy. To learn more about the traditional sweet dumplings, read our answers to the most frequently asked questions about them below.

What is luqaimat made of?

Arabic luqaimat is made from a leavened yeast dough fashioned into bite-sized doughnut balls. Also known as sweet dumplings, these treats are fried to golden perfection, covered with homemade simple syrup with rosewater, and sprinkled with nuts. Luqaimat may, as ours are, be stuffed with delicious fillings. Popular choices include soft and slightly savoury cream cheese, crunchy nuts, and more modern options like chocolate or hazelnut spread.

How to make luqaimat with cheese stuffing?

Luqaimat doughnut balls are incredibly tasty with a creamy filling and making them is incredibly easy. Roll out the leavened dough and use a glass or the lid from your cream cheese to make perfect circles. Now use two spoons to place a dollop of cream cheese in the middle of each circle. Sprinkle with a few chopped walnuts. Fold the circles and use your fingers to crimp the edges together to seal them before you roll them into small balls. Fry these to golden-brown perfection, cover with rosewater syrup and walnuts and enjoy while warm.

How to fry luqaimat?

When frying luqaimat you need to make sure the oil is heated properly. If the oil is too cold, it may lead to greasy rather than crispy treats. Heat the oil slowly at medium heat and use a small piece of dough to test whether it is ready. If it sizzles when you drop it in, it is (if using a cooking thermometer, aim for 160-170°C). Use a slotted spoon to move the doughnut balls around in the oil to ensure an even cook. Also, do not cook too many balls at a time as this can lower the oil's temperature.

When is luqaimat served?

An Arabic sweet luqaimat dessert is best served hot after being drizzled with rosewater syrup, honey, or date syrup. Though they taste great no matter the occasion, these sweet treats are the perfect way to end an iftar meal where you and your family have just enjoyed a selection of tasty savoury dishes. Store any leftovers you may have in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Ingredients

Luqaimat:

Cream cheese, cooked	100 g
Milk	240 ml
Flour	240 g
Vegetable oil	240 ml
Yeast	1 tsp
Chopped walnuts	100 g
Vegetable oil	720 ml

Syrup:

Water	240 ml
Sugar	400 g
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Rose water	2 tbsp

Garnish:

Walnuts
Chestnuts

Stuffed luqaimat with cream cheese

Luqaimat is made with a leavened yeast dough that is fried in vegetable oil. This gives them the crispy outer shell and tender inside for which they are known and loved. The airy, fluffy interior of these hides a centre of creamy cheese filling with crunchy pieces of nutty, earthy walnut. The mild-tasting but slightly tangy and savoury cheese filling perfectly balances the treats' sweetness and prevents these syrup-coated doughnut balls from becoming overly sweet.

If you are in the market for more great recipes with cheesy fillings, we suggest having a look at our cheese sambousek recipe and cheese borek recipe.

Traditional Middle Eastern sweet dumplings

Luqaimat, lugaimat, lokma, awamat, Arabic doughnut balls, Middle Eastern sweet dumplings, Emirati fritters – a scrumptious snack with many different names! No matter what you call them, though, these sweet, deep-fried treats are perfect for Ramadan. Stuffed with cream cheese and walnuts, fried to golden perfection, and dunked in rosewater-flavoured simple syrup, these bites are both crunchy, crispy, and gooey.

For a dish that is also wonderfully crispy on the outside and has a smooth filling, check out our recipe for fried qatayef.

Enjoy cream cheese luqaimat as a delicious dessert or snack

Ramadan luqaimat doughnuts with cream cheese make for lovely dessert bites or snacks. Prepare the dough in advance so it has time to proof as you and your family eat together. As the others relax after the meal, pop back into the kitchen to make and fry the doughnut balls. This way you can serve them hot and fresh and enjoy them when they are at their crispiest and fluffiest.

Add your own touch

After covering the bites in simple syrup, you can coat them with different tasty traditional luqaimat ingredients depending on whether you want to enhance their sweet and nutty flavours or spice them up a little.

Sprinkling them with sugared nuts or toasted sesame seeds may achieve the former, while the latter can be done by dusting them with ground spices like sweet-spicy cinnamon, zesty cardamom, or delicate, floral saffron. These spices may, of course, also be used in the batter itself. To make the luqaimat sweeter, you can even coat them in icing sugar.

You might also like to try pairing other nuts like pistachios, almonds, and hazelnuts with our mild luqaimat with cream cheese. The green pistachios will look especially pretty when sprinkled on top of the syrup-covered doughnut balls.

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