Intermediate
Moroccan
Chicken Tagine with Olives and Lemon
Source: Traditional
90 min4420 kcal
HalalGluten-freeDairy-free
Bambalouni
A single ring of soft dough dropped into hot oil, puffed in a minute, pulled out and rolled in sugar — sold from doorway stalls in Sidi Bou Said and eaten while it burns your fingers.
Source
Recipe by Tunisian street kitchens · 🏺 Traditional · The counter-and-cart side of Tunisian food — fried to order, eaten standing, and hotter with harissa than any tourist expects.
Tunisian · street sweet — An ownerless traditional dish, so no cook is credited. The cited article confirms bambalouni as a Tunisian sweet fried dough ring, sold at street stalls and served hot with sugar. Quantities and method here are this book's own.
Watch it being made · 3 videos
⏱ 90 min🍽 8 servings🔥 260 kcal🇹🇳 Tunisia
HalalVeganVegetarianDairy-freeNut-free
Steps
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and leave 10 minutes until foaming.
Beat into the flour and salt to a very soft, sticky dough — much wetter than bread dough. Do not add more flour.
💡 The wetness is what makes them hollow and light. A firm dough fries into a bread roll.
Cover and rise 1 hour until doubled and full of bubbles.
Heat the oil to 175 °C. Wet your hands, take a handful of dough, and poke a hole through the middle with a finger.
Drop it into the oil and fry 1–2 minutes a side, until deep golden and puffed.
Lift out, drain for a few seconds and roll immediately in caster sugar. Eat hot.
💡 Tips
- Sugar goes on while they are still hot or it will not stick. Have the bowl of sugar ready before you start frying.
- They are only good in the first ten minutes. Bambalouni is not a make-ahead food.
- Some stalls serve them with honey instead of sugar. Both are traditional; sugar is the Sidi Bou Said default.
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