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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
- 3 eggs
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 9 oz plain flourplus extra for rolling
- 1 pinch salt
For frying and finishing
- 4 ¼ cups sunflower oilfor deep-frying
- 9 oz thyme honey
- ¼ cup water
- 3 ½ oz walnutsfinely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
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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.
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