Balah El Sham is a super delicious fried dough soaked in heavy sugar syrup. They are incredibly crunchy on the outside and SO soft and fluffy on the inside.
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Balah El Sham
I am a super fan of these Arabic mini churros, they are the yummiest dessert I have ever made.
Balah El Sham is a super famous dessert in the Middle East, and in Turkey, they call it Tulumba. I LOVE to make this crunchy, delicious dessert in the month of Ramadan.
The first time I made this dessert, I made a huge mistake: I fried the dough with high-temperature oil, which caused the Tulumba to lose its beautiful shape. So, make sure you fry the dough at medium heat.
Ingredients
Note: This is an overview of the ingredients. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
For the dough, I use all-purpose flour, a pinch of salt, water, eggs, butter and vanilla extract.
To fry the dough, I use vegetable oil.
Topping: I use crushed pistachio, but you can use any type of nuts you prefer.
For the syrup, I use granulated sugar, water, glucose syrup and lemon juice.
How to Make Tulumba?
One - Make The Syrup: In a saucepan, add sugar, water, lemon juice and glucose syrup over medium heat.
Two: Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for 8-10 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it cool down.
Three - Make The Dough: In a pot or large saucepan, mix butter and water over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
Four: Sift flour and salt. Add the sifted flour to the water mixture, stir vigorously for 1 minute until the mixture comes together in one big ball. Then, turn off the heat and let it cool down for 5-10 minutes.
Five: Next, add vanilla extract and the eggs (one by one) until the dough is soft. Add the dough to a piping bag with a large star nozzle (I used Ateco # 846)
Tip: Don't add the eggs until the dough is cooled; also, don't add all the eggs at once to allow it to mix well.
Six - Fry The Dough: Pour about 1-1 ½ inches of oil into a large pot or saucepan and pipe (about 2-3 inches) of the dough. Use kitchen scissors to cut the dough in the oil while it is at room temperature, then put it over MEDIUM heat.
Seven: Fry until golden brown (about 1-2 minutes). Drain on a paper towel.
Tip: Before you fry the second batch of the pastry, let the oil cool down as the dough fries better on low heat. Also, the longer you leave them frying, the crunchier your dough will be.
Eight - Applying The Syrup: While still hot, dip the Tulumba in the syrup for 2-3 minutes, then take them out of the syrup with a slotted spoon.
Nine: Arrange one serving plate, then sprinkle some pistachio on the top.
Some Variations
- You can pair up Tulumba with other classic syrups such as caramel syrup, honey or chocolate syrup.
- Balah El Sham can also be stuffed with whipping cream, custard, chocolate, fruits or nuts.
Serving Suggestions
This recipe is SO versatile; if you don't like to soak this dessert in sugar syrup, you can just sprinkle it with some sugar or cinnamon sugar, or dip it in melted chocolate, nuts or salted caramel.
You can also drizzle some honey or powdered sugar over the it.
Storage
It is best to consume it on the same day. However, I usually keep leftovers in an airtight container for 1-2 days. Note that it will not be as crunchy as it was before storing.
To freeze the dough, I pipe it into a baking sheet and freeze it. Once it is fully frozen, I put it into a bag for up to 2 months.
More Middle Eastern Dessert Recipes
- Zalabya - Loukoumades Recipe
- Kahk El Eid Recipe (Egyptian Eid Cookies)
- Kunafa With Mango And Cream (No-Bake)
- Qatayef (Atayef)
- Kunafa with Cream (Ashta) - Easy Arabic Dessert
- Baklava Rolls
- Mini Kunafa With Ricotta Cheese
- Kunafa Recipe
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Recipe Card
Balah El Sham (Tulumba)
Equipment
- Star piping tip
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1.25 cups water
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 5 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or
- 4 cups Vegetable oil, for deep frying
For the syrup
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon glucose syrup
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Make the syrup: In a saucepan, add sugar, water, lemon juice and glucose syrup over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for 8-10 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it cool down.½ cup water, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoon glucose syrup, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Make the dough: In a pot or large saucepan, mix butter and water over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil.Sift flour and salt.1.25 cups water, ½ cup unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add the sifted flour to the water mixture, stir vigorously for 1 minute until the mixture comes together in one big ball.2 cups all purpose flour
- Then, turn off the heat and let it cool down for 5-10 minutes. Next, add vanilla extract and the eggs (one by one) until the dough is soft. Add the dough to a piping bag with a large star nozzle.1 teaspoon vanilla extract or, 5 large eggs
- Pour about 1-1 ½ inches of oil into a large pot or saucepan and pipe (about 2-3 inches) of the dough. Use kitchen scissors to cut the dough in the oil while it is at room temperature, then put it over MEDIUM heat.4 cups Vegetable oil, for deep frying
- Fry until golden brown (about 1-2 minutes). Drain on a paper towel.
- While still hot, dip Balah El Sham in the syrup for 2-3 minutes, then take it out of the syrup with a slotted spoon.
- Arrange one serving plate, then sprinkle some pistachio on the top.
Elena says
Thanks for this amazing dessert recipe. I loved it so much, I didn't dip it in syrup, just sprinkled it with some cinnamon sugar. It was great!
carol says
I made it much smaller, and it was so delicious. I also sprinkled some finely chopped almond on top.
Lora says
I love all the Arab desserts, Om Ali and Balah El Sham are my favourites.
Samantha says
I agree, this dessert is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, I loved it.