Tulumba, also known as bamiyeh, is a deep-fried dessert prepared using an unleavened dough lump, which is shaped as a small ovoid and includes ridges lengthways. It is shaped with the help of a pastry bag or cookie press, which has a fitting end part.
It is initially deep-fried which gives it a golden colour, and then sugar-sweet syrup is added on top while it’s still hot.
Origin & Cultural Significance
Tulumba is traditionally consumed during Hanukkah and several other special events by Turkish, Israeli and Persian Jews.
Generally consumed cold, tulumba is often considered to be similar to jalebis and churros. One can easily find this dessert in Turkey, in the regional cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, the Balkans, the Middle East and the South Caucasus.
Tulumba is often found under a different name in countries like Iraq, Egypt, Cyprus, Syria, Croatia, Greece, Bosnia, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia and Albania.
Tulumba Recipe
Ingredients
For the dough
- Water - 2 cups
- Milk - 1 cup
- vegetable oil or butter - 1/3 of a cup
- Sugar - 1 tbsp
- All-purpose flour - 420g
- Salt - pinch
- Eggs - 4
- Vanilla extract - 1 tbsp
- White wine vinegar - 1 tbsp
- Vegetable oil (for deep frying)
For the syrup
- Sugar - 3 cups
- Water - 2 cups
- Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Instructions
- To make this dessert, begin by preparing the syrup first. Take a small pot and add all the ingredients for the syrup to it. Bring them to a boil, allowing them to cook for about 4-5 minutes. Make sure the sugar dissolves completely and the syrup becomes a little thick in consistency. Once done, keep it aside to cool down.
- The next step is to prepare the dough. Take a deep saucepan and add milk, water, sugar, salt and oil to it. Bring all the ingredients to a boil over a medium-high flame.
- Once you see the mixture boiling, get the pan off the stove. Keep in mind that sugar should be dissolved completely before removing the pan from the heat. Throw in all the flour at once. Combine the mixture properly using a wooden spoon. Stir vigorously until all the flour is combined completely. It should take you about 30-60 seconds.
- Place the pot back on the stove and lower the heat to low. Allow the mixture to cook, making sure to stir continuously for approximately 30-60 seconds. Be cautious not to burn the mixture.
- Transfer the mixture into a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Combine at medium speed, allowing it to cool down. While the mixer runs, throw in the eggs, one by one, waiting every time for the eggs to be combined. Stop combining after every addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Combine until you achieve a smooth and glossy dough and the eggs are fully absorbed. The consistency of the dough should be thick. Now, add the vanilla extract and white vinegar and mix once more, until combined.
- Take a deep-frying pan and heat oil in it over a medium flame.
- The next step is to shape the tulumba. Take a pastry bag fitted with a large 1 cm star nozzle. Transfer the dough for the pastries to the pastry bag and squeeze 5cm dough pieces out. You can cut the dough using wet scissors before dropping it into the hot oil. Make sure you fry them in batches and do not overcrowd the surface of the pan.
- Allow the pastries to fry over a medium flame, turning them and pushing them down into the oil. Fry until the pastries obtain a nice colour and are cooked completely. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to kitchen paper to drain the extra oil.
- Now, place them in the cold syrup for about 2-3 minutes, letting them absorb the syrup. Take them out using a slotted spoon and repeat the procedure for the remaining dough.
- Serve them cold and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 469Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 68mgCarbohydrates: 95gFiber: 1gSugar: 63gProtein: 8g