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Cape Malay koesisters
Spiced syrup doughnuts
Spiced, soft yeast dumplings simmered in syrup and rolled in coconut, a Bo-Kaap Sunday treat
South AfricanKoesisters are Cape Town's Sunday-morning ritual: in the Bo-Kaap and on the Cape Flats, families buy or make a batch to eat with tea after the week's work is done. They are nothing like the plaited, crunchy Afrikaner koeksister. These are soft, cake-like, oval dumplings flavoured with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, aniseed and naartjie (tangerine) zest, fried, briefly boiled in a thin syrup and rolled in desiccated coconut. Chef's tip: fry them over a moderate heat so they cook through to a fluffy centre before the outside turns dark; they should be a rich brown, not black.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- ⅓ oz instant dried yeast
- 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground aniseed
- 2 ⅛ oz buttermelted
- 1 egg
- 1 cup lukewarm milkabout
- 1 litre sunflower oilfor frying, plus a little for your hands
For the syrup and coating
- 10 ½ oz sugar
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 3 ½ oz desiccated coconut
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ⅓ oz instant dried yeast, 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar, ½ tsp salt, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cardamom, 1 tsp ground aniseed and 1 tbsp finely grated tangerine or orange zest in a large bowl. Rub in 3 ½ oz mashed potato (cooled, no butter) with your fingertips until it disappears.
Step 2: Beat 2 ⅛ oz butter, 1 egg and most of 1 cup lukewarm milk together, pour in and mix to a soft, slightly sticky dough. Add the rest of the milk only if needed.
Step 3: Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic, then cover and leave somewhere warm until doubled.
60 minStep 4: Oil your hands and pinch off pieces the size of a golf ball. Shape each into a smooth oval about 6 cm long and set on an oiled tray, well apart.
Step 5: Cover loosely and leave to rise again until puffy and soft when pressed.
30 minStep 6: Meanwhile, put 10 ½ oz sugar, 1 ¾ cups water and 1 cinnamon stick in a wide saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 5 minutes to a thin syrup.
8 minStep 7: Heat 1 litre sunflower oil in a deep pan over a medium-low heat to 325°F. Fry the koesisters 4–5 at a time, turning, until rich brown all over and they sound hollow when tapped.
6 minStep 8: A common mistake is frying too hot: they look done in 2 minutes but the centres stay raw and doughy. If they brown faster than 5–6 minutes, lower the heat.
Step 9: Drain briefly, then drop the hot koesisters into the gently simmering syrup and turn them for 30 seconds until glossy and coated.
1 minStep 10: Lift out, let the excess syrup drip off, and roll in 3 ½ oz desiccated coconut. Serve warm or at room temperature on the day.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cape Malay koesisters take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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