AI-generated image
Diples
Díples: Mani's thin fried pastry ribbons folded into rolls, soaked in honey and walnuts
In the tower villages of the Mani, no wedding, christening or New Year passes without trays of diples: paper-thin egg dough fried in a rolling twist, so each strip curls into a crisp, bubbled scroll, then drenched in warm thyme honey and showered with walnuts and cinnamon. They shatter when you bite and stay crunchy for days in a tin. Common mistake: rolling the dough too thick, which gives chewy, oily diples — you should almost see your hand through it. Chef's tip: hold the end of each strip in the oil with two forks and roll it as it puffs; the first few are practice, so don't worry about shape.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
For frying and finishing
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Whisk 3 eggs with 2 tbsp orange juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp baking powder and 1 pinch salt. Work in 9 oz plain flour to a soft, smooth dough that doesn't stick. Knead 5 minutes, wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
35 minStep 2: Cut the dough in four. Roll each piece on a lightly floured surface, or through a pasta machine to the thinnest setting, into very thin sheets. Cut into strips about 5 cm wide and 30 cm long.
15 minStep 3: Heat 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil in a deep pan to 350°F. Lower in one strip, hold one end with two forks and roll it up as it puffs, turning, until pale golden all over, about 30 seconds. Drain on kitchen paper. Repeat, keeping the oil hot.
25 minStep 4: Warm 9 oz thyme honey with ¼ cup water in a small pan for 2 minutes until runny, skimming any foam.
2 minStep 5: Dip each diple quickly in the warm honey, or drizzle it over, and arrange on a platter. Sprinkle generously with 3 ½ oz walnuts and 1 tsp ground cinnamon.
Step 6: Serve once cool. Store in a tin, not the fridge, for up to a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 35 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does diples take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 30 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of orange juice?
- Mandarin or pineapple juice, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek village salad
A true Greek salad has no lettuce: just ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, sharp onion and olives, dressed with good olive oil and dried oregano, with a whole slab of feta on top. Salt the tomatoes first and they'll make their own dressing.
Baklava
The famous layered pastry: crisp sheets of buttered fillo sandwich a filling of almonds, pistachios and cashews spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and saffron. After baking, the hot baklava is soaked in a syrup of sugar, honey, lemon, rose and cardamom and decorated with almond and pistachio flakes. Cut into 40 diamonds; serve with fresh cream or ice cream.