Baghlaw-e-Khanagi

Ingredients

• 600 gflour
• 3eggs, whisked
• 450 mlmilk
• 1 tspbaking powder
• 50 gground walnuts, for dough
• ground walnuts, for topping; sprinkled over warm baghlaw
• 10 gcardamom, ground
• 75 mlvegetable oil, this quantity is grossly insufficient
• 300 gsugar, for sugar syrup
• 1 Lwater, for sugar syrup

Method

1. 1

   Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the whisked eggs and milk, then add the ground walnuts, baking powder and cardamom. Fold together until an elastic dough forms.

2. 2

   On a clean, lightly floured surface, roll the dough out thinly into a large rectangle. Starting from a long edge, fold the dough over itself in 3 cm-wide folds — like folding a letter, over and over — until you have one long, flat, layered strip. Cut the strip crossways into 3 cm pieces.

3. 3

   Make the sugar syrup: bring 1 litre of water to the boil in a deep saucepan, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened and syrupy.

4. 4

   Heat a deep pan with enough vegetable oil for deep frying to about 175°C (350°F).

5. 5

   Carefully lower the dough pieces into the hot oil in batches — don't crowd the pan. Fry, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 2–3 minutes per batch.

6. 6

   Remove the fried pieces from the oil and immediately place them into the warm sugar syrup to coat.

7. 7

   Remove from the syrup and, while still warm, sprinkle generously with ground walnuts so they adhere to the surface.

8. 8

   Leave to cool completely before serving.