Koesister

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 gplain flour
• 7 ginstant yeast
• 50 gsugar
• 1 tspsalt
• 50 gbutter, melted
• 1egg
• 250 mlwarm milk
• 100 gmashed potato, optional

Spice

• 2 tspground cinnamon
• 1 tspground ginger
• 1 tspground cardamom
• ½ tspground aniseed
• ½ tspmixed spice
• ½ tspgrated nutmeg

Syrup

• 400 gsugar
• 300 mlwater
• 1cinnamon stick
• 2cardamom pods
• 1strip orange peel

To finish

• 200 gdesiccated coconut

To fry

• oil, for deep frying

Directions

1. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and all the ground spices together.
2. The spicing is the whole identity of a Cape Malay koesister and it should be assertive rather than a background hint. Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and aniseed all belong.
3. Add the melted butter, egg, warm milk and mashed potato and knead to a soft, smooth dough.
4. The mashed potato is a traditional addition and it keeps the crumb soft for longer.
5. Prove for 1 hour 30 minutes until doubled.
6. Knock it back and shape into oval balls about the size of an egg.
7. Prove again for 30 minutes, until they feel light and spring back slowly when pressed.
8. Meanwhile boil the syrup ingredients for 5 minutes and keep it hot on a low heat.
9. Heat the oil to 170°C (340°F) and fry the balls for 3 to 4 minutes a side until deep golden.
10. Moderate heat and a slow fry, because these are thick and need to cook right through to the middle.
11. Lift them out and drop them straight into the hot syrup.
12. Hot dough into hot syrup, which is the exact opposite of the Afrikaner koeksister and gives a completely different result: soft and saturated all the way through rather than crisp outside.
13. Turn them in the syrup for a minute or two so they drink it up.
14. Lift them out and roll them immediately in desiccated coconut while still wet.
15. Roll them wet. The coconut needs a syrupy surface to cling to and a drained koesister will not take it.
16. Serve warm or at room temperature, ideally on the day.
17. They are a Cape Malay Sunday morning tradition in Bo-Kaap, sold from homes and eaten with tea, and they are a different sweet from the plaited Afrikaner koeksister despite the near-identical name.

Technique

• Soft, spiced and coconut-rolled, where the koeksister is crisp, plaited and bare.
• Naartjie or orange peel in the syrup is common and adds a good citrus note.
• They are best on the day and go dry by the second.

Substitutions

• Fresh grated coconut instead of desiccated, which is better if you can get it.
• Sweet potato in place of the mashed potato.

Variations

• Koeksister, the Afrikaner plaited version.
• With a little more aniseed, which some Bo-Kaap families favour.
• Baked rather than fried, which is a modern and lighter version.

History

The Cape Malay koesister of the Bo-Kaap is round, cardamom-spiced and sold door to door on Sunday mornings.

Frequently asked questions

What is Koesister?

Koesister is a dessert from South Africa: spiced fried dough ball soaked in syrup and rolled in coconut. The Cape Malay koesister of the Bo-Kaap is round, cardamom-spiced and sold door to door on Sunday mornings.

How long does Koesister take to make?

Koesister takes 30 min plus 2 hr rising of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 20. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Koesister?

Yes, within limits. Fresh grated coconut instead of desiccated, which is better if you can get it. Sweet potato in place of the mashed potato.

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

The spicing is the whole identity of a Cape Malay koesister and it should be assertive rather than a background hint. Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and aniseed all belong.