Sawabe Zeinab (Semolina Fingers)
Small flour-semolina fingers, fully fried before a cooled syrup or honey dip.
Preparation: 15 min · Cooking: 21 min · Total: 45 min · 2 servings
Ingredients
- 120 ml fine semolina, volume measure
- 240 ml wheat flour, volume measure
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 360 ml prepared thick cooled sugar syrup OR honey, choose one dip
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 80 ml warm water, yeast-package temperature
- 480 ml initial vegetable frying oil
- additional frying oil only if vessel depth requires (optional)
Instructions
Measure and prepare
Measure flour and fine semolina by volume: 240 ml and 120 ml, not gram weights. Follow yeast directions for the 80 ml water temperature. Set out a clean food-safe texturing tool, not a sharp grater surface for bare hands.
Set out a clean food-safe texturing tool, not a sharp grater surface for bare hands.
Prepare the ingredients
Mix flour, semolina and 1 tsp instant yeast. Rub in 2 tbsp warm melted ghee and add the 80 ml water. Knead from about 5 minutes until evenly combined into workable dough; never taste raw dough.
Knead from about 5 minutes until evenly combined into workable dough; never taste raw dough.
Prepare the ingredients: 300 seconds
Build the base
Cover the dough and begin rest checks at 10 minutes, following product conditions rather than an exact universal resting time. Keep waiting dough protected.
Keep waiting dough protected.
Build the base: 600 seconds
Combine the components
Shape small approximately 4 cm fingers with the clean texturing tool. Use the 480 ml initial oil in a suitable deep vessel, adding conditional oil only if needed for safe depth. Never fill the vessel more than halfway.
Never fill the vessel more than halfway.
Cook and check
Heat and monitor oil at 170°C for every batch size. Fry manageable batches, turning and beginning checks at 4 minutes, usually 4–5 minutes. Continue until centres are fully cooked with no wet flour-semolina paste; brown colour alone is insufficient.
Continue until centres are fully cooked with no wet flour-semolina paste; brown colour alone is insufficient.
Cook and check: 240 seconds
Finish carefully
Using utensils, move fully cooked fingers into the chosen 360 ml cooled syrup OR honey dip for about 2 minutes. Drain excess dip; neither all dip nor all frying oil is necessarily consumed.
Drain excess dip; neither all dip nor all frying oil is necessarily consumed.
Finish carefully: 120 seconds
Check before serving
For 8 servings use 960 ml flour, 480 ml fine semolina, 4 tsp yeast, 8 tbsp ghee, 320 ml water, 1920 ml initial frying oil and 1440 ml dip. These are semolina fingers, not macaroons; do not add sesame.
These are semolina fingers, not macaroons; do not add sesame.
Serve and store
Serve in 2 portions once safe to handle, without a fixed piece-count promise. Honey is unsuitable under 12 months. Refrigerate promptly in shallow portions within 1 hour at ≤4°C and use within 2 days.
Refrigerate promptly in shallow portions within 1 hour at ≤4°C and use within 2 days.
Tips
- Instructions describe the original 2-serving batch. Scale the ingredient list to 1 or 8 servings: exactly half or fourfold. One cup is 240 ml, one tbsp 15 ml and one tsp 5 ml. Dry volumes are not gram weights. Use equivalent vessels/batches; cooking times are checks, not linear scaling rules.
Common mistakes
- Do not add unlisted ingredients or use the timer alone as a doneness test.
Substitutions
- Use only the listed alternatives and ingredient states; check product directions and allergens.
Storage
Refrigerate promptly within 1 hour in shallow portions at ≤4°C. Use within 2 days from preparation, including chilling. These are selected conservative household limits, not a validated shelf life.
Reheating
Reheat leftovers at most once to 74°C throughout, then serve immediately. Keep unused portions refrigerated.
About this recipe
Small flour-semolina fingers, fully fried before a cooled syrup or honey dip.
Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.