Ingredients
Dough
- 500 gplain flour
- 3 tbspoil
- 1 tbspsugar
- 1 tspsalt
- about 250 ml warm water
- 1 tbsporange juice, optional
Custard
- 1 litremilk
- 150 gfine semolina
- 180 gsugar
- 2eggs
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tspvanilla or mastic
- 30 gbutter
To fry
- oil, for deep frying
To finish
- icing sugar, in quantity
- ground cinnamon, optional
Equipment
- a pasta machine or a rolling pin
- a pastry wheel
Directions
- Make the custard first, because it must be completely cold before it goes near the pastry. Heat the milk with the lemon zest to just below a simmer. Whisk the semolina and sugar together, then rain them into the hot milk while whisking.
- Cook it over a medium heat, stirring constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes until very thick. It should be thick enough to hold a spoon upright, because a loose custard bursts out of the pastry in the fryer.
- Take it off the heat and beat in the eggs, butter and vanilla. Beat the eggs in off the heat and quickly, so they thicken the custard rather than scrambling in it. Film against the surface stops a skin forming, and a skin becomes lumps in the filling.
- Chill it until completely cold and firm, at least 2 hours. It must be cold and set. Warm custard is unmanageable and it melts the pastry as you work. Mix the flour, sugar and salt, then work in the oil and enough warm water to make a firm dough. Make it firmer than a bread dough, because it has to be rolled very thin without tearing.
- Knead it for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, then rest it 1 hour covered. That rest is what lets you roll it thin, and an unrested dough springs back and fights you.
- Take it to near translucency. Thick pastry gives a heavy doughy shamishi and the crispness is the whole point. Work with one piece at a time and keep the rest covered. Lay the sheet out and put spoonfuls of the cold custard along it, spaced well apart.
- Fold the sheet over the filling, press firmly around each mound to push out the air, and cut them apart with a pastry wheel. Trapped air expands in hot oil and bursts the parcel open.
- Press the edges down hard and crimp them, and check every seam. Set them on a floured tray, not touching. Heat the oil to 175°C (345°F). Fry them a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until golden and blistered. Stand back as they go in, and never fry a parcel you are not confident is sealed.
- Lift them out and drain them for only a few seconds. Now dust them heavily with icing sugar while they are still hot and greasy. Serve them immediately, and warn people that the custard inside is genuinely scalding. They soften within twenty minutes, so they are never made ahead.
Technique
- Mastic is the traditional flavouring in some versions and gives a distinctly Cypriot note.
- They are closely related to Greek bougatsa in filling but quite different in form.
- Stalls at the Limassol carnival fry them continuously through the day.
Substitutions
- Ready-made filo, doubled, though it is more fragile and less chewy.
- Vanilla in place of mastic.
Variations
- With mastic in the custard.
- Baked rather than fried, which is drier.
- With cinnamon in the sugar.
History
Sold at Cypriot fairs and the Limassol carnival from stalls that fry them to order.
Frequently asked questions
What is Shamishi?
Shamishi is a street food from Cyprus: fried pastry pockets of semolina custard, sugared and eaten hot. Sold at Cypriot fairs and the Limassol carnival from stalls that fry them to order.
How long does Shamishi take to make?
Shamishi takes 1 hr plus 1 hr resting of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 20. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Shamishi?
Yes, within limits. Ready-made filo, doubled, though it is more fragile and less chewy. Vanilla in place of mastic.
What is the most important thing to get right in Shamishi?
Make the custard first, because it must be completely cold before it goes near the pastry. Heat the milk with the lemon zest to just below a simmer. Whisk the semolina and sugar together, then rain them into the hot milk while whisking.
