Middle Eastern & North African · Breakfast · Snack
Balaleet
بلاليط
Toasted vermicelli gently sweetened with saffron, cardamom and rose water, crowned with a soft, thin omelette, the classic Gulf sweet-and-savoury breakfast. This lighter version uses less sugar and ghee and adds egg whites for extra protein.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 22 min
- Total
- 32 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 61% · Fat 22% · Protein 17%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 200 g (about 2 cups broken)Wheat vermicelli, broken into short pieces
- 1 tbsp13 gGhee
- 3 cups750 gWater, for boiling
- 1 tbsp15 gWarm water, for saffron
- 1 generous pinchSaffron threads
- 3 tbsp38 gGranulated sugar
- 1 tspGround cardamom
- 1 tbsp15 gRose water
- 1 pinchSalt
- 3 large150 gEggs
- 2 large66 gEgg whites
- 1 tbsp10 gPistachios, chopped (optional)
Steps
- 1
Crumble the saffron into the 1 tbsp warm water and leave it to steep.
- 2
Bring the 3 cups of water to a boil in a kettle or pot.
- 3
Melt 2 tsp of the ghee in a wide saucepan over medium heat.
- 4
Add the broken vermicelli and stir for 3–4 minutes until evenly golden.
- 5
Pour in the boiling water, add the salt and simmer for 6–8 minutes until the vermicelli is just tender.
- 6
Drain the vermicelli well and return it to the pan.
- 7
Stir in the sugar, cardamom, saffron with its soaking water and the rose water.
- 8
Cover and leave on the lowest heat for 5 minutes so the flavours steam into the noodles.
- 9
Whisk the eggs and egg whites together until smooth.
- 10
Heat the remaining 1 tsp ghee in a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat.
- 11
Pour in the eggs, tilt to make a thin layer and cook for 3–4 minutes until fully set with no runny egg.
- 12
Slide the omelette out, cut into wedges or strips.
- 13
Spoon the vermicelli into bowls, top with the omelette and scatter over the pistachios if using.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use rice vermicelli instead of wheat vermicelli to make it gluten-free, checking the package is labelled gluten-free.
- Replace the ghee with a neutral oil such as sunflower or light olive oil to make it dairy-free.
- Swap the 3 tbsp granulated sugar for 2 tbsp date syrup for a deeper, caramel-like sweetness.
- If rose water is hard to find, use 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or a little orange blossom water instead.
Storage
Refrigerate the vermicelli and omelette separately in airtight containers within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot. The omelette is best eaten fresh, and freezing is not recommended because the eggs turn rubbery.
Make ahead
Cook and sweeten the vermicelli up to a day ahead and chill it, then reheat with a splash of water until steaming hot. Make the omelette fresh just before serving.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: GlutenEggsMilkTree nuts
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (313 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 315 kcal | 101 kcal |
| Protein | 13.1 g | 4.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 47.6 g | 15.2 g |
| of which sugars | 11.1 g | 3.5 g |
| Fiber | 1.7 g | 0.5 g |
| Fat | 7.6 g | 2.4 g |
| of which saturated | 3.3 g | 1.1 g |
| Sodium | 189 mg | 60 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
