Crisp fried choux fingers dipped in syrup and garnished with pistachios, the Egyptian dessert balah el sham.
Balah el Sham is a beloved popular Egyptian dessert, known in other countries as tulumba, and its Egyptian name comes from its oblong shape that resembles a date fruit.
It is built on the same choux dough used for eclairs, piped into ridged fingers and fried until crisp, then dipped in cold syrup that it soaks up while its surface stays crisp. It is one of the desserts of Ramadan and celebrations in Egypt, sold in sweet shops and made at home, distinguished by the contrast between the crunchy exterior and the soft, syrup-soaked interior.
Boil the syrup sugar with the water and add the lemon juice, and leave it over low heat for about twelve minutes until it thickens slightly, then turn off the heat and let it cool completely, for cold syrup on hot dough is the secret to the crunch.
Boil the water with the butter, then add the flour and cornstarch all at once and stir vigorously over the heat until a cohesive dough forms that pulls away from the sides of the pot, and leave it to cool for about ten minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until the dough becomes smooth, glossy, and cohesive enough to hold its shape, for this consistency gives balah el sham its hollow interior.
Fill a piping bag with a star tip, pipe fingers about five centimeters long into medium-heat oil and snip them off with scissors, and fry them over low to medium heat until they turn golden and crisp, for high heat burns the surface while the inside stays raw.
Lift the hot fingers and dip them straight into the cold syrup for about a minute, then lift them out, for the temperature difference lets the syrup penetrate while the surface stays crisp.
Arrange them on the serving dish, scatter the crushed pistachios over them, and serve them on the same day so they stay crunchy.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Balah el Sham (Egyptian Fried Choux in Syrup), and how to fix them:
The oil was too hot or the dough too wet. Fry over low to medium heat, and make sure the dough is cohesive enough to hold its shape rather than runny.
The heat is too high. Lower it so the inside cooks gradually and the outside crisps along with it, for fast frying only burns the surface.
The syrup was hot or the dipping was too long. Use cold syrup and hot dough, dip for one minute, then lift out immediately.
They are best eaten on the same day so they stay crunchy, and are kept uncovered for a few hours, for tight covering and the syrup soften them over time.
Freeze the fried fingers without syrup in an airtight container, reheat them in the oven, then dip them in cold syrup at serving.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| butter | vegetable oil | about 55 ml instead of 60 g butter | Oil is the choice of the original source, while butter gives a richer flavor |
| deep-frying in oil | baking in the oven | a light coating of fat instead of submerging | A lighter option in fat, but the crunch is less than the fried version |
| sugar syrup | syrup with a spoonful of honey added | same amount | Honey gives a deeper flavor and shine, as in the original source |
| pistachios | crushed walnuts | same weight, 30 g | The flavor differs while staying pleasantly nutty |
| Ingredient | Half the amount | The amount (base) | Double |
|---|---|---|---|
| water (dough) | 125 ml | 250 ml | 500 ml |
| butter | 30 g | 60 g | 120 g |
| flour | 75 g | 150 g | 300 g |
| eggs | 75 g | 150 g | 300 g |
| sugar (syrup) | 150 g | 300 g | 600 g |
| pistachios | 15 g | 30 g | 60 g |
The syrup is always cold and the dough always hot, for this temperature difference lets the syrup penetrate while keeping the surface crisp, whereas hot syrup on hot dough softens it. And fry over low to medium heat so the inside cooks before the surface burns.
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