Koeksisters - a South African Classic
by JGJMatt in Cooking > Dessert
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Koeksisters - a South African Classic
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Hello fellow makers and bakers,
In this Instructable I will be showing you how to make an all time favourite of mine....and pretty much all South Africans...the Koeksister.
A koeksister is a traditional South African confectionery made of fried dough infused in syrup.
There is also a Cape Malay version of the dish, which is a fried ball of dough that is rolled in desiccated coconut called a koesister that I will also be showing.
The name derives from the Dutch word "koek", which generally means a wheat flour confectionery, also the origin of the American English word "cookie", and "sister" can refer to the oral tradition of two sisters plaiting their doughnuts and then dunking them in syrup, so creating this iconic pastry.
There are thousands of recipes out there passed down from generation to generation but I like mine generously spiced with warmth from fresh ginger, cinnamon quils and cloves.
This recipe is Vegetarian (with dairy) and can also be a delicious Vegan dessert by replacing the dairy with water and olive oil.
Let's get started!..
Supplies
INGREDIENTS
Syrup:
- 1 kg Granulated white sugar
Can be substituted with agave.
- 500 ml Water
- 4 Quills stick cinnamon
- 6 Whole cloves
- A piece (size depending on how much ginger warmth you want) fresh ginger, bruised.
I used 2 "fingers"
- A few strips of lemon peel
- 30 ml Lemon juice
- A pinch of salt
- A pinch of cream of tartar
Koeksisters:
- 500 g Cake flour
- 20 ml Baking powder
- 5 ml Mixed spice
- 5 ml Salt
- 60 ml Cold butter cut into squares
For a Vegan alternative this can be substituted with olive oil.
- 300 ml Milk
- 100 ml Plain yogurt
For a Vegan alternative these can be substituted with water.
- Oil for deep-frying
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Making the Syrup:
First we will need to prepare our syrup, you want to do this the day before.
Combine all the ingredients for the syrup in a saucepan and heat gently to dissolving the sugar.
When the sugar is fully disolved, bring the mixture to a boil for 5 minutes.
Leave the spices and peel in the syrup and let the mixture cool down.
When sufficiently cold, strain and pour into a glass bowl and place into the refrigerator.
If you'd like a more spiced syrup you can leave the spices in the syrup and strain before use.
The Dough:
Time to prepare the dough.
Begin by sifting the flour, baking powder, mixed spice, and salt together in a bowl.
Next add the cubed butter and work into the mixture until it resembles a coarse meal.
Mix the milk and yogurt together and mix into the dry ingredients until combined.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead gently until the mixture forms a soft dough.
Place the dough back into the bowl, and cover with a damp tea towel.
Leave it for at least 30 minutes to rest.
Cutting the Dough:
After resting the dough we can roll it out.
Divide the dough into two or three smaller balls to make handling easier.
Pat one of the balls of dough out on a floured surface into a rectangular shape about 2-3cm thick.
Now using a floured rolling pin, roll it out into a rectangle (mine is about 30 x 15 cm and 1 cm thick.
Trim the edges of the rolled out dough so that you are left with a rectangle then cut the rectangle into 2 strips across the width and about 7 strips across the length (I used the width of my chefs knife per koeksister).
Next cut each of your small rectangles into 3 strips, leaving them joined across the top.
Braiding Your Koeksister:
Now the fun part...braiding your koeksisters.
I start by separating the strips as shown, braid them, press the ends together (if your dough dried out a little and the ends don't want to stick together you can just wet the end with some water) and tuck the ends underneath.
Place them on a baking tray and cover with a damp tea towel while you repeat the process with the rest of the dough.
Preheat Your Oil:
In a deep, heavy saucepan heat the oil to 180 °C , these fry at a lower heat otherwise the dough will brown before cooking through.
Fry Em' Up:
With the oil at 180 °C it's time to fry your koeksisters.
Fry the koeksisters being careful not to overcrowd the pot as they do rise quite a lot.
Turn them with a slotted spoon to brown evenly on both sides.
Remove from the oil and drain on paper towel for a short while (you just want to absorb any excess oil, 30 seconds max)
Let Them Soak:
Syrup time!
This is one of the most important tip, you want your syrup to be ice cold. A good idea is to place the syrup in the freezer about 30 minutes before frying and then when dipping place the bowl of syrup into a container with some ice and water.
While still hot, drop them into the syrup for about 1 minute making sure they are completely submerged in the syrup.
Remove with a slotted spoon, let the excess syrup drip off and place them on the cake rack.
The Koe'sister:
Now for the Cape Malay version.
Using the same dough roll grape sized balls and plop them into the oil.
As with the koeksisters place them on a paper towel for a few seconds and dunk into the syrup.
Now from the syrup roll them in some desiccated coconut (or if you want even more flavour you can toast the coconut first) and enjoy!
Enjoy!
I hope you guys enjoyed this Instructable and if you have any questions please feel free to leave me a comment bellow.