Lokma Dessert (Fried Sweet Dough Balls)

What Are Lokmas? 

Lokmas are fried dough balls (the size of a golf ball) that are soaked in syrup. It is one of the most famous desserts you can see on the streets of Turkey. There is often a long queue in front of street vendors selling this simple yet delicious sweet.

A good lokma is crispy and golden outside and soft and light golden inside. You should hear the noise of crispiness when you bite it. Also, it should be juicy inside, but not doughy.

Another thing that makes the lokma dessert unique is that the fried balls are immediately added to cold sugar syrup. This allows them to absorb the sweet syrup and get infused with its flavors.

Lokma pastry can be served with some ground cinnamon, sesame seeds, crumbled walnuts and other garnishes. But more often than not, they are served plain.

How To Make This Recipe

Today, we will show you how to make authentic lokma recipe from scratch. It is easy and essentially foolproof! By the end, you will have deliciously sweet, soft, and puffy fried dough balls, perfect for snacking on.

Make The Syrup

It is the same syrup we use in our easy baklava recipe and tulumba tatlisi.

1. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Stir well until the sugar dissolves.
2. Once the syrup has started to boil, reduce the heat to a medium-low setting. Add the lemon juice and lemon slice. Leave the syrup to simmer for 10-15 minutes or until it gets a syrupy consistency.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat and allow it to cool down completely.

Make And Fry The Dough

1. Make the dough: To start, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add the lukewarm water while whisking. The dough will gradually become runny and sticky - slightly thicker than cake batter.
2. Rest the dough: Once your dough has come together, cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave it to rise for 50-60 minutes or until it doubles in volume.
3. Preheat your oil in a large pot or saucepan over medium heat. The oil shouldn’t be very hot.
4. Stir the risen dough with the spatula to help release the air inside. Set it aside. Then, place about ¼ cup of oil in a small bowl or mug and position it next to your dough bowl.
5. Grab some dough in the palm of your hand and squeeze it until a small ball-shaped piece of dough forms between your thumb and forefinger. Dip a teaspoon in the jug of oil and scrape the dough off between your fingers.
6. Place it to the preheated oil. Repeat this process until the pot is full of tiny dough balls. And remember, you have to dip the teaspoon in oil, otherwise the dough will stick to it.
7. Once your pot is full, fry the balls until they become golden brown on all sides.
8. Do not overfill the pot. It won't allow the balls to fry evenly or get a crispy texture otherwise.

Assemble

• When all your balls have been fried to perfection, strain them from the hot oil and add them directly into your cold syrup. The balls must be hot while the syrup is cold. This is the best way for them to absorb the sweet syrup.
• Leave them to soak for 3-4 minutes.
• Once soaked, strain them from the syrup using a slotted spoon. Transfer them to a separate bowl or plate, keeping the remaining syrup inside the saucepan.
• You can serve the balls immediately or store leftovers at room temperature for a couple of days.

Tips

• While frying the dough balls, you may see that the oil gets too hot. The balls will become golden too quickly before the inside gets time to cook. In this case, turn off the heat after the first batch has been fried. Wait for about 5 minutes and then turn the heat back on to fry another batch.
• If you don't like shaping the dough balls in the traditional way (using your hands), you can use a piping bag instead. Squeeze a small amount of dough through the tip, then cut it off with scissors over the hot oil. Remember to dip the scissors in the cold bowl of oil before cutting the dough.
• Again, the syrup must be cold before you add the hot fried balls. This is the best way for them to absorb the sweet sticky syrup. And the balls should be hot as well. The heat makes them more absorbent.

Serving

Usually, lokmas have the best taste and crispiness when they are till hot. You can sprinkle over some cinnamon or nuts if you want.

It is often served with Turk Kahvesi (Turkish coffee) or tea. Another great accompaniment for it is dondurma (Turkish ice cream), especially during summer.

Storing

If you are lucky enough to have leftover lokmas, you can store it inside an airtight container. Keep it at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Some people like storing theirs inside the sugar syrup, but for us, it makes them too soft and soggy.

Origins

It has become a popular treat in Turkey, but the origins of lokma are in Arabic cuisine. According to an article in Wikipedia, it emerged in the 13th century in an Arabic cookbook with the name luqmat al-qadi, meaning judge’s morsels. It immediately caught the attention of Ottomans and became a dessert of the palace and then spread around the Middle East, the Balkans and Caucasus. Each cuisine has its own variation.

In Iraq, this dessert is known as luqaymat (morsel) and it is sometimes flavored with cardamom and saffron. 

Other names used for this sweet in the Middle East are awameh and zalabya, but the shapes and toppings might change.

In Cyprus, lokma is made in the same way as in Turkey. But they are garnished with a light sprinkle of powdered sugar.

And finally, there is Greek version of this dessert. Unlike Turkish lokmas, Greek Loukoumades (lokmades) are not dipped in sugar syrup but they are topped with honey instead. So these fried dough balls are also known as honey balls in Greece. They could also be topped with cinnamon, chocolate sauce, powdered sugar or coarsely chopped walnuts.

Also, Jewish Greeks call them zvingoi (sponge) and make them as a special sweet during Hanukkah. 

Lokma Vs Gulab Jamun

These look very similar but differ in two main ways.

The first is the batter. Gulab Jamun is an Indian dessert. The batter is mainly made from milk powder, milk and ghee. This gives the balls a very different consistency and flavor.

The second difference is about the syrup. While both desserts use sugar syrup, gulab jamun is always flavored with rose water and with spices like cardamom and saffron.

More Turkish Desserts

• Tel Kadayif
• Künefe
• Revani
• Sekerpare
• Rice Pudding Sutlac
• Halka Tatlisi