Tullumba

Ingredients

Syrup

• 600 gsugar
• 400 mlwater
• 1 tablespoonlemon juice
• a strip of lemon peel

Dough

• 250 mlwater
• 60 gbutter
• 1 tablespoonsugar
• 1/2 teaspoonsalt
• 150 gplain flour
• 40 gsemolina or fine cornflour
• 3eggs

To fry

• neutral oil, for deep frying

Equipment

• a piping bag with a large fluted nozzle
• a sugar thermometer

Directions

1. Put the sugar and water in a heavy pan. Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon juice and the peel. The acid stops the syrup crystallising later.
2. Bring it to the boil and let it bubble for ten minutes. It should thicken slightly and coat a spoon. Take it off the heat and let it cool completely. Chill it in the refrigerator while you fry. Put the water, butter, sugar and salt in a pan. Bring it to a full rolling boil. Take it off the heat and tip in all the flour and semolina at once.
3. Beat it hard with a wooden spoon. It will come together into a stiff ball quickly. Return it to a low heat for two minutes. Keep beating it hard as it cooks. A thin film should form on the base of the pan.
4. Tip the dough into a bowl and spread it up the sides. Let it cool until it is barely warm. Adding eggs to hot dough will scramble them. Beat in one egg and keep beating until it is absorbed. Keep working and it will come back together. Add the second egg the same way.
5. Add the third only if the dough is still very stiff. The finished dough should be thick and glossy. Fill the piping bag with the dough. Pour oil into a deep pan to a depth of eight centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat it to only 150C to begin with. Pipe lengths of about five centimetres straight into the oil.
6. Cut each one off with oiled scissors or a knife. Fry six or seven at a time and no more. Fry them slowly for about eight minutes. Turn them occasionally as they colour. They should puff and turn pale gold. Fry them for two minutes more to crisp and darken them. They should be deep golden brown all over.
7. Break one open to check the inside is cooked. A raw doughy centre means the first fry was too short. Lift the hot pastries straight out of the oil. Drop them into the cold syrup at once. Leave them in the syrup for two or three minutes. Turn them once so they soak evenly. Lift them out with a slotted spoon. Set them on a rack over a tray to drain. They are best a few hours after making.

Technique

• Tulumba spread across the Ottoman world and survives under many names, from tulumba in Turkey to balah el-sham in Egypt and Syria.
• The distinctive shape comes from the star nozzle and is common to all of them.

Substitutions

• Semolina can be left out and replaced with more plain flour, though it helps the crispness.
• Honey can be used in the syrup for a different flavour, though sugar syrup is traditional.

Variations

• Some shops make small round versions rather than fingers.
• A version flavoured with rosewater or lemon in the syrup is common.
• Filled tulumba with cream inside are sold in some Turkish shops.

History

Sold by weight in Kosovo pastry shops, a survival of Ottoman-era sweet making across the Balkans.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tullumba?

Tullumba is a dessert from Kosovo: fluted fried batter fingers soaked in cool sugar syrup. Sold by weight in Kosovo pastry shops, a survival of Ottoman-era sweet making across the Balkans.

How long does Tullumba take to make?

Tullumba takes 30 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 30 pieces. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Tullumba?

Yes, within limits. Semolina can be left out and replaced with more plain flour, though it helps the crispness. Honey can be used in the syrup for a different flavour, though sugar syrup is traditional.

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

Add the third only if the dough is still very stiff. The finished dough should be thick and glossy. Fill the piping bag with the dough. Pour oil into a deep pan to a depth of eight centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat it to only 150C to begin with. Pipe lengths of about five centimetres straight into the oil.