Baid Al Qata
By Budoor "Bint Al Dira" from Kuwait.
‪#‎ArabicFlavour‬ ‪#‎BaidAlQata‬ ‪#‎Kuwait‬

A traditional Kuwaiti dessert full of crunchy yumminess, usually served along with arabic coffee. Baid Al Qata is a deep fried dough filled with a creamy mixture of crushed walnuts, rose water and spices, tossed in powdered sugar that gives it an "out of heaven" effect. The unusual name "Baid", meaning eggs, came from the resemblance in shape with the eggs of the rare Crowned Sandgrouse bird "Al Qatta" that was very common in that geographical area in specific back then. I really hope you will like and enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Baid Al Qata
Ingredients

*For the dough: 
Enough to make around 60 pieces "as shown in the photo"
- 1 ½ cup cake or all-purpose flour
- ½ cup lukewarm milk
- 1 stick (100 gm) unsalted butter, room temperature
- Pinch of cardamom
- Pinch of salt

*For the filling:
- 1 cup crushed walnuts
- Few strands of saffron soaked in 1 Tbsp rose water
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom (or more according to preference)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp orange blossom water
- Powdered sugar for coating
Vegetable oil for frying

Preparation:
- Sift together the flour, cardamom and salt then add the butter and knead. Add milk gradually and knead till you get a soft and smooth dough.
- Cover and set aside from 30-60 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix all filling ingredients together. (Walnuts, cinnamon, cardamom, sugar, rose water and blossom water)
- When dough is ready, take a small piece of it and spread lightly, then add in the center a small amount of the walnut mixture, but do not overfill it so it won't open during the frying process. 
- Fold the dough over the filling forming a ball, then turn it into an egg-shape by rolling it lightly between your palms .
- Set aside for the dough to rest again for 10 to 15 minutes. This will help the dough to maintain its shape.
- Deep fry till they turn golden.
- Strain excess oil and let them cool down a little bit.
- Toss them in powdered sugar to cover all sides, or from one side only if you don't want it to be very sweet. The original recipe calls for covering it from all sides.
- Serve it along with Arabic coffee or special saffron coffee.

Recipe alternatives:
- Blossom water, cinnamon and saffron are additions to the original recipe, but they definitely add a great flavour.
- The dough can be baked instead of deep fried as a healthier option, but the outcome won't taste as good as fried. 
- An easier updated dough recipe comprises of 1 cup of flour and 1 can of cream. It tastes good as well.

Bon Appétit