AI-generated image
Kemalpaşa tatlısı
Kemalpaşa tatlısı: Bursa's little cheese dumplings soaked in lemony syrup
Named after the town of Mustafakemalpaşa near Bursa, these small golden rounds are made from a soft unsalted cheese, semolina and flour, baked dry and then simmered in syrup until they swell and soak it up like sponges. In Bursa they are eaten after a plate of İskender, warm with a spoon of clotted cream or a scattering of pistachio. They are lighter than they look, with a faint cheesy tang under the sweetness. Chef's tip: let the syrup cool to lukewarm and the dumplings be at room temperature; if both are hot the dumplings collapse into mush.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dumplings
For the syrup
To serve
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Boil 14 oz granulated sugar and 2 cups water for 10 minutes, add 1 tbsp lemon juice and leave the syrup to cool until just lukewarm.
10 minStep 2: Mash 9 oz unsalted fresh cheese (lor or ricotta) smooth with a fork, then beat in 2 eggs, 2 ⅞ oz fine semolina, 1 tbsp caster sugar, 4 oz plain flour and 1 tsp baking powder to a soft, slightly sticky dough. Rest it for 15 minutes so the semolina swells.
15 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). With oiled hands roll walnut-sized balls, flatten each to a thick 4 cm disc and set on a lined tray.
Step 4: Bake for 20–25 minutes, until pale golden and dry underneath. Cool them on the tray for 15 minutes.
25 minStep 5: Bring the syrup back to a gentle simmer, add the dumplings and poach for 8–10 minutes, until they swell and look translucent at the edges. Common mistake: boiling hard; they break apart.
10 minStep 6: Leave them in the syrup for 1 hour to soak. Serve warm or at room temperature with 5 ½ oz clotted cream (kaymak) and 1 oz pistachios.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kemalpaşa tatlısı take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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 plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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
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.
Custard sauce
Proper pouring custard made the easy way with custard powder. It's thick, smooth and lightly sweet, just right with apple pie, crumbles, fruit salad and trifle. Serve it warm, or chill it for trifles.
British
Chocolate sauce
A thick, glossy chocolate sauce made from store-cupboard cocoa and milk, ready in under 10 minutes. Pour it hot over vanilla ice cream, or let it cool and spread it on cakes and puddings.