History

Luqaimat means small bites in Arabic. The dish descends from luqmat al-qadi, the judge's morsels, which al-Baghdadi described in the 13th century, and the same fried dough became lokma in Turkey and loukoumades in Greece. In the Gulf, luqaimat are little changed from those recipes and are often spiced with cardamom or saffron. The Michelin Guide describes the Emirati version as crunchy outside, soft and airy inside, glazed with date syrup and eaten with Arabic coffee, a dessert tied to Ramadan and special occasions.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Milk, Sesame

Make it at home

Yield Makes about 40Hands-on 30 minTotal 2 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 300g plain flour
  • 60g fine semolina
  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Half teaspoon salt
  • Half teaspoon ground cardamom
  • A large pinch of saffron threads, ground
  • 300ml warm water
  • 1 litre neutral oil for frying
  • 200ml date syrup (dibs)
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Method

  1. Mix the flour, semolina, yeast, sugar, salt, cardamom and saffron. Beat in the warm water to a thick, smooth, sticky batter.
  2. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour 15 minutes until doubled and bubbly.
  3. Heat the oil to about 180C. Wet a spoon and a hand, scoop a walnut-sized ball of batter and drop it in.
  4. Fry in batches for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until deep golden and crisp. Drain on paper.
  5. Pile the hot luqaimat on a plate, pour over the date syrup and scatter with sesame seeds. Serve at once with Arabic coffee.

Tip from the editors. Keep the oil at a steady 180C: cooler oil makes greasy, heavy balls, and hotter oil browns the shell before the middle cooks.

Where to eat luqaimat

Luqaimat in Abu Dhabi

Featured by TableJourney as a signature dish of Abu Dhabi. See where to eat Luqaimat in Abu Dhabi or the Abu Dhabi signature dishes guide.

Luqaimat in Dubai

Al Fanar Restaurant & Cafe ★ 4.0

$$ EmiratiAl Seef

Al Fanar Restaurant & Cafe rebuilds 1960s Dubai in its Al Seef dining room, serving machboos and harees the way the UAE ate before towers rose.

OrderLamb machboos with a plate of luqaimat and date syrup to finish.

TipAsk for the terrace, which looks across the creek at the boats and old Dubai.

Directions

Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant & Cafe ★ 4.3

$$ EmiratiAl Fahidi

Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant & Cafe seats diners under a tree in a covered courtyard in Al Fahidi, a Bib Gourmand kitchen cooking rustic Emirati food.

OrderMachboos rice with dango chickpea soup and a plate of luqaimat.

TipBread is baked in view of the courtyard tables, and live music plays in the evening.

Directions

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