How to Make Mishbak (Arab Sweet)

Ingredients

• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sifted cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• oil for frying
• red food coloring, 1/4 teaspoon or 2 drops
• syrup (qatr), about 2 cups
• Syrup (qatr):
• 4 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Method

1. First, make the syrup: put the sugar and water in a saucepan and stir well.
2. Add the lemon juice and stir.
3. When the mixture comes to a boil, let it boil for 7 minutes over medium heat, then remove from heat and set aside to cool.
   Timers: 7 min
4. In a large bowl, combine the yeast with 1 teaspoon of sugar and the cup of warm water and allow the yeast to activate.
5. Add the sifted flour and whisk, then add the cup of cornstarch and whisk until you have a loose batter.
6. Cover the batter and let it rest for 30 minutes to ferment.
   Timers: 30 min
7. After the time has passed, stir the batter with a spoon to deflate it slightly so you can pour it into a bottle or a piping bag.
8. Pour the batter into a piping bag or a plastic bottle and secure the lid.
9. Divide the syrup into two portions and add the red food coloring to one portion, stirring well.
10. Heat the oil slightly above medium-high. Pipe small amounts of batter directly into the hot, deep oil and shape the pieces as you pipe.
11. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to lift the pieces as soon as they firm up and color in the oil. Transfer the pieces directly into the syrup.
12. Dip half of the mishbak pieces in the colored syrup to make them red; the pieces dipped in the plain syrup will keep a golden color.
13. Remove the mishbak after a few seconds in the syrup, let them drain, and place them on a serving plate.
14. Serve the mishbak once it has cooled to room temperature.
15. Note: To keep mishbak crisp on the second day, leave them uncovered (do not cover).
16. For more Arab sweets, see Al-Sufuuf
17. To make hazelnut ghraybeh by Tarez, click the link