Baghali-e-Hanagi (Afghan Homemade Baklava)

An Afghan dessert: crispy fried dough sticks with walnuts and cardamom, soaked in sugar syrup.

Ingredients

• 600 g Wheat flour
• 3 pcs Eggs
• 450 ml Milk
• 50 g Ground walnuts
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 10 g Ground cardamom
• 75 ml Vegetable oil
• 300 g Sugar
• 1 l Water

Instructions

1. Pour the flour into a bowl and make a well in the center. Whisk the eggs and pour into the well.
2. Add the milk and mix well. Fold in the ground walnuts, baking powder, and cardamom. Knead until you have an elastic dough.
3. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin into a thin rectangle. From the long side, fold the dough into 3 cm wide strips into a long roll, then cut crosswise into 3 cm pieces.
4. Heat a deep skillet with oil to frying temperature. Separately, bring 1 liter of water to a boil.
5. Pour sugar into the boiling water and stir carefully until you have a thick syrup. Reduce the heat and keep at a gentle simmer.
6. Carefully lower the dough pieces into the hot oil and fry until golden brown.
7. Transfer the cooked pieces into the sugar syrup to soak. Remove and, while still warm, sprinkle with ground walnuts. Let cool and serve.