Zoolbia | The Crispy Persian Dessert

Zoolbia is a traditional crunchy and sweet Iranian sweet. It is a deep-fried item made with flour, cornstarch, yogurt, saffron, rosewater, and syrup. After frying, zoolbias are soaked in a sugar syrup flavored with saffron and rose water. Iranian cuisine contains many delicious sweets like this one!

Zoolbia | The Crispy Persian Dessert

Zoolbia is an item among popular Iranian sweets. Its popularity comes from the Iranian Culture during Ramadhan. You can always find it at parties for Iftar during that month. This sweet, is most of the time served next to Bamiye. The combination of their tastes and textures creates an unforgettable memory in your mind.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine persian

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  

• 1 glass wheat starch   
• 1 glass yogurt
• 1 tablespoon white flour
• ½ soupspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon thick brewed saffron

Instructions

 

• Add the wheat starch and the yogurt to a dish and mix them. When they are completely mixed, add the flour and the baking powder. Once again mix the ingredient sand finally add the brewed saffron and mix the ingredients. The final mixture should be neither too thick nor too weak. Use a to separate the dough from possible non-dissolved pieces of wheat starch. Cover the dish with plastic wrap for at least an hour. After some time, small bubbles must be formed on the mixture.
•  Before frying the mixture, mix the ingredients one more time. Preheat some oil in a frying pan and when the oil is hot enough (to check if it is hot enough, add a small amount of the mixed ingredients. If it got puffy and bigger quickly, it means the oil is hot enough), add the mixed ingredients to the oil using a disposable pastry bag or a disposable plastic dish for sauce. Form small circles and create a rounded shape.
• When both sides look golden (the color might not change a lot. Don't worry), take the sweet out of the frying pan and put it in some syrup (the syrup mustn’t be cold). put the Zulbia inside the syrup all at once. It will give the sweet a nice color. After some minutes, take it out of the syrup and use a sieve to let the extra syrup drip.

Simple Syrup

The syrup needs to be prepared first, because the pieces of Bamiyeh need to be placed in the syrup.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Cuisine persian

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

• 2 glasses water
• 3 glasses sugar
• ¼ cup rosewater
• ⅓ teaspoon citric acid
• saffron as much as requires

Instructions

 

•  put some water in a pot and boil the water. the citric acid must be added .After the water started boiling. At this step, the water will be foamy and bubbly, this is when the sugar must be added but do not stir it! The crystals should dissolve slowly and gradually (so the flame of the gas burner mustn’t be high). After the combination started boiling, add the rosewater and the saffron(Lower the flame of the gas burner and wait for the syrup to boil and become thick gradually.
• Timing is really important here. This process takes about 15 minutes, not longer and not shorter. As mentioned before the flame of the gas burner must be low. If not, small white crystals of sugar, called Shekarak in Persian, might appear in the syrup
•  As you already know, the syrup must be “thick”. This means that it should be sticky. If not, the Zulbia won’t be as crunchy as it has to. But be careful not to make the syrup over thick because pieces of Shekarak are almost certain to appear. The syrup must cool in a colder environment. When it cools down, the syrup must almost as thick as honey, but less.

Topping and serving Zoolbia

• As mentioned before, Zoolbiya and Bamieh are usually served together honestly, they are like a couple. You can enjoy eating them with some, fresh hot tea.
• Zoulbia can be topped with some dried Damask Rose and pistachio or almond slices.

Tips for cooking Zoolbia

• The citric acid can be replaced with 2 tablespoons lemon juice. But if you want to avoid those small cubes of sugar completely, using citric acid is recommended.
• Adding a tablespoon of Glucose powder will make the Zoolbia shine.
• Try not to use fresh yogurt. A high-fat sour type of yogurt can be the best option.
• Between powdered wheat starch and wheat starch cubes, the second one is a better option. Also, note that it must be fresh. If not, the Zoolbia won’t pop puffy at all.
• The saffron inside the Zoulbia is mainly to give it a better color.
• Do not over-fry this sweet. Over-frying it can make it so hard to eat.
• The consistency level of the ingredient must be as shown in the pictures. If it is weaker, add some flour and if it is thicker, add some water.
• After frying them, do not lay the hot pieces of Zoolbia on each other. This can make the one at the bottom, softer and less pleasant to eat.
• If you are cooking Zoolbia and Bamieh at the same time, the oil used for cooking the Zoolbia can be used for frying the Bamieh as well, but the opposite is not true because of the eggs used in Bamieh.

Common problems:

• Why is the Zulbia hard and dry?
• It’s too thin.
• It’s been over-fried.
• Too much flour has been used.

• Why does the Zulbia become soft after some time?
• The syrup hasn’t been thick enough.
• When the fried Zoulbia was added to the syrup, the syrup was too hot.
• The prepared pieces of Zoulbia have been put on each other
•  The dish in which you covered the pieces of Zoulbia, was covered.

• Why won’t the dough be shaped n lines and spread in the frying pan?
• The oil isn’t hot enough.
• There isn’t enough oil in the pot.
• The dough needs more flour.

Iftar and Zoolbia!

In Ramadan, Muslims go on fast. After sundown, they break their fasting with a meal called Iftar. It usually starts with dates, but some sweets, puddings, and aushes are very popular during Ramadan. Zoolbia and Bamyie are one of them. Halva, Halim, Shir Berenj, Shole Zard, and Adasi are the others.

Colorful Zoolbia

If you like to have different types of Zulbia, you can think of colorful ones. Colourful Zoolbias are made with artificial colors. You can add artificial color to the ingredients that are used to make the dough. Then make zoolbias with this. Colorful sweet desserts are an awesome option for kids. They would love it. Note that using too much colorful Zoolbias can harm your liver. So do not overuse this type.

10 essential recommendations for  Zoolbia 

• Get the product from reputable confectioners with a history of manufacturing and supplying health products under the supervision of the Ministry of Health.
• Avoid buying Zoolbia that is burnt or more pasty than usual or has changed its taste.
• Avoid buying Zoolbia that is open and exposed to pollutants.
• Taking Zoolbia causes thirst and unnaturally increases the need for water, so avoid overdosing.
• Store Zoolbia in the refrigerator or a cool, dry place.
• Avoid consuming Zoolbia in Suhoor (pre-dawn meal) because its high sweetness increases blood sugar quickly and causes premature hunger in the early hours of the day.
• During the holy month of Ramadan, replace Zoolbia with raisins and dates, among the most beneficial natural sugars.
• People suffering from diabetes, obesity, and high blood fat should avoid consuming this type of sweets as much as possible, and if they wish, they should consume it in the minimum possible amount.
• Avoid keeping Zoolbia at home for a long time.
• Avoid placing Zoolbia behind glass and near sunlight.

Difference between Zoolbia and Bamieh

Zoolbia and Bamieh are Middle Eastern fried desserts with rose water and saffron syrup. But these Iranian sweets have different types and are made with different doughs.

Bamieh is made with pastry dough and is shaped into a doughnut-like texture using a piping bag with a star-shaped tip. Zoolbia is made with thin dough, similar to funnel cakes, with a crunchy texture.