Koeksister

Ingredients

Syrup

• 800 gsugar
• 500 mlwater
• 2 tbspgolden syrup
• 1 tspcream of tartar
• 1strip lemon peel
• 1cinnamon stick
• 1 tspground ginger

Dough

• 500 gplain flour
• 4 tspbaking powder
• 1 tspsalt
• 60 gbutter, cold
• 1egg
• 250 mlcold milk

To fry

• oil, for deep frying

Directions

1. Make the syrup a day ahead, because it must be refrigerator cold when the koeksisters go into it.
2. Boil the sugar, water, golden syrup, cream of tartar, lemon peel, cinnamon and ginger for 10 minutes, then cool it and refrigerate overnight.
3. The whole dish turns on one contrast: boiling hot dough plunged into ice cold syrup. That temperature shock is what forces the syrup deep into the pastry while the outside stays crisp.
4. If the syrup is even room temperature, the koeksister goes soft all the way through and you have lost the crunch entirely.
5. Rub the cold butter into the flour, baking powder and salt, then bind with the egg and cold milk into a soft dough.
6. Knead lightly, cover, and rest it in the fridge for an hour.
7. Roll the dough out to about 6 mm thick and cut it into rectangles about 8 cm by 4 cm.
8. Cut each rectangle into three strips lengthways, leaving them joined at one end.
9. Plait the three strips together and pinch the far end firmly closed.
10. Pinch both ends hard. A plait that comes undone in the fryer unravels into three separate strips.
11. Keep the plaited koeksisters in the fridge until the moment they are fried.
12. Heat the oil to 175°C (345°F) and fry them a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, turning, until deep golden.
13. Take the syrup out of the fridge only now, and keep it over a bowl of iced water.
14. Lift each koeksister straight from the oil and plunge it immediately into the cold syrup.
15. Straight from fryer to syrup, with no pause. Ten seconds on a rack is enough to lose the effect.
16. Hold it under with a fork for about 30 seconds, then lift it onto a rack to drain.
17. Work in small batches and return the syrup to the fridge between batches if it warms.
18. They should be crisp and shatteringly brittle outside and flooded with syrup inside.
19. This is the Afrikaner koeksister, plaited and syrup-soaked; the Cape Malay koesister is a quite different spiced ball rolled in coconut.

Technique

• The two spellings mark two genuinely different sweets and South Africans do not confuse them.
• They freeze well and are eaten straight from the freezer, which is common.
• Cream of tartar stops the syrup crystallising and should not be left out.

Substitutions

• Lemon juice in place of cream of tartar.
• A second batch of cold syrup, alternated, if you are making a large quantity.

Variations

• Koesister, the Cape Malay version.
• With more ginger and a cinnamon-heavy syrup.
• Made small, as a bite-sized sweet.

History

Two traditions share the name: the Afrikaner plaited version soaked in cold syrup, and the Cape Malay koesister, spiced and rolled in coconut.

Frequently asked questions

What is Koeksister?

Koeksister is a dessert from South Africa: plaited doughnut soaked in cold syrup, crisp then sticky. Two traditions share the name: the Afrikaner plaited version soaked in cold syrup, and the Cape Malay koesister, spiced and rolled in coconut.

How long does Koeksister take to make?

Koeksister takes 40 min plus overnight chilling of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 24. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Koeksister?

Yes, within limits. Lemon juice in place of cream of tartar. A second batch of cold syrup, alternated, if you are making a large quantity.

What is the most important thing to get right in Koeksister?

Make the syrup a day ahead, because it must be refrigerator cold when the koeksisters go into it.