Yo-yo

Ingredients

Dough

• 400 gplain flour
• 2eggs
• 120 mlfresh orange juice
• grated zest of 2 oranges
• 80 mloil
• 60 gsugar
• 2 tspbaking powder
• a pinch of salt

Syrup

• 400 ghoney
• 200 mlwater
• 1 tbsplemon juice
• 1 tbsporange blossom water
• a strip of orange peel

To fry

• oil, for deep frying

To finish

• toasted sesame seeds
• chopped pistachios

To serve

• with mint tea, at Ramadan

Directions

1. Simmer the honey, water, lemon juice and orange peel for 10 minutes. Do not boil honey hard or for long, since it loses its aroma and takes on a slightly burnt note. Add the orange blossom water off the heat. Add it at the end, since its aroma evaporates immediately, and go carefully with it or the whole batch tastes of perfume.
2. Let the syrup cool to lukewarm. Beat the eggs with the sugar, then add the orange juice, zest and oil. Use fresh orange juice rather than bottled, since it is a main ingredient rather than a flavouring.
3. Work in the flour, baking powder and salt to a soft, slightly sticky dough. Keep it soft. A stiff dough gives hard heavy rings, and yo-yos should be light. Knead it only briefly, until smooth. Do not over-knead, which makes them tough. Rest it for 30 minutes, covered.
4. Take a piece of dough the size of a walnut and roll it into a ball, then push a hole through the centre with a floured finger. Widen the hole to about 2 cm by turning the ring around your finger. Make the hole generous. Set them on a lightly floured tray. Keep the oil moderate rather than fierce. These need time to cook through, and hot oil colours them in a minute while the centre stays raw.
5. Fry them a few at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until deep golden. Do not crowd the pan, which drops the temperature and makes them greasy. Turn them once or twice so they colour evenly. Lift them out and let them drain for a few seconds only. Now put them straight into the cooled syrup while they are still hot.
6. Transfer them hot and immediately, since the temperature contrast is what makes the texture. Turn them in the syrup and leave them for 2 or 3 minutes. Do not leave them soaking for long, or they go soft right through and lose the contrast entirely.
7. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and set them on a rack over a plate. Add them while the syrup is wet, or they will not stick. Let them set for about 20 minutes. Serve them at room temperature with mint tea. They keep three or four days in a tin and they soften gradually, which many people prefer.

Technique

• Cap Bon is Tunisia’s citrus region and supplies the oranges.
• The hot-into-cool rule applies across syrup-soaked pastries.
• They are made in quantity for Ramadan and Eid.

Substitutions

• Sugar syrup in place of honey, which is cheaper.
• Any fresh orange juice and zest.

Variations

• With orange blossom water in the dough as well.
• Rolled in sesame seeds entirely.
• Made smaller, as bite-sized rings.

History

A Tunisian teatime and Ramadan sweet built on orange juice and zest from the Cap Bon citrus groves, glazed while still hot.

Frequently asked questions

What is Yo-yo?

Yo-yo is a dessert from Tunisia: orange-scented doughnut rings fried and soaked in honey syrup. A Tunisian teatime and Ramadan sweet built on orange juice and zest from the Cap Bon citrus groves, glazed while still hot.

How long does Yo-yo take to make?

Yo-yo takes 30 min plus 30 min resting of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 20. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Yo-yo?

Yes, within limits. Sugar syrup in place of honey, which is cheaper. Any fresh orange juice and zest.

What is the most important thing to get right in Yo-yo?

Simmer the honey, water, lemon juice and orange peel for 10 minutes. Do not boil honey hard or for long, since it loses its aroma and takes on a slightly burnt note. Add the orange blossom water off the heat. Add it at the end, since its aroma evaporates immediately, and go carefully with it or the whole batch tastes of perfume.