Makes 36 fritters
Roya Shariat, author of cookbook Maman And Me, shares her family’s recipe for the traditional Iranian dish, noon masti.
While writing this cookbook, Maman and I negotiated (sometimes politely, sometimes not) which recipes were essential to include. My mom recalled this recipe late in the process and made it on the spot from a 30-year-old handwritten recipe. I was immediately convinced, and we haven’t found any other version of this recipe out there.
This is the Sadeh family recipe for noon masti: fluffy, fried dough coated in confectioners’ sugar. The addition of yogurt tenderises the gluten in the dough, making a soft and light treat that goes perfectly with chai.
2 large eggs
1½ cups (360ml) vegetable oil
1 cup (240g) Greek yoghurt
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1½ to 2 cups (210 to 280g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
¼ tsp ground cardamom
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, ½ cup (120ml) of the oil, yoghurt, granulated sugar and baking powder. Using a wooden spoon, gradually stir in 1½ cups (210g) of the flour. Use your hands to knead the mixture for a few minutes into a smooth dough. If your mixture does not come together and feels a little loose, add more flour, 1 tbsp at a time, and continue kneading it with your hands. When the dough is smooth, soft and not sticky, loosely cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
- On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a large round that is about ½ in (13mm) thick. Invert a small cup on the outer perimeter of the dough, placing only half of the cup on the dough before pressing down to cut the dough and create crescent-like shapes (not rounds). Arrange the crescent-shaped pieces on a tray and continue the process, re-rolling the dough scraps as needed, until you’ve used all the dough.
- Fill a medium Dutch oven with enough of the remaining 1 cup (240ml) of oil to come about 1in (2.5cm) up the sides. Line a tray with paper towels. Warm the oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until a small piece of dough dropped in bubbles up and turns golden.
- Working in batches, fry the dough crescents, flipping once, for about 2 minutes per side, or until light brown all over. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the noon masti to the paper towel-lined tray and let cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and cardamom.
- In batches, toss the cooled noon masti in the cardamom sugar until evenly coated. Serve warm or at room temperature on a platter, refreshing with cardamom sugar if needed. Noon masti will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
From Maman & Me by Roya Shariat and Gita Sadeh. Copyright © 2023 by Roya Shariat. Reprinted by permission of PA Press, an imprint of Chronicle Books
Roya Shariat is a Brooklyn-based writer and social impact leader, and the author of Maman And Me and creator of the Instagram account @mamanandme
