Koeksisters 😍, a delicious, sticky South African treat. If you’ve never had one before this is the perfect time to whip up some. They remind me of a donut, but a bit messier 😀.
Ingredients
For the syrup:
800 ml water
1,2 kg sugar
40 ml lemon juice
1 stick of ginger
12,5 ml cream of tartar
1 cinnamon stick
Sunflower oil, for frying
For the dough:
500g cake flour
25ml baking powder
20ml margarine (I used stork bake)
1/2 large beaten egg
230ml water
Method
For the syrup:
Place the water, sugar and cream of tartar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Once the syrup starts to boil, add the lemon juice, ginger and cinnamon and allow to simmer and infuse for 10 minutes.
Cool the syrup to room temperature. Place the syrup in the fridge to cool. (Prefrebly overnight, the colder the better)
For the dough:
Sift the flour and baking powder together in a bowl and then rub in the margarine with your fingertips.
Add the beaten ½ egg to the water and whisk.
Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Pour in the water mixture and then start to mix until a smooth dough has formed. Knead thoroughly.
Cover with clingfilm and leave to rest for at least 15 minutes or up to 5 hours.
Heat the oil to 180 °C.
Using an oiled rolling pin, roll out the dough on an oiled surface to a thickness of 5 mm. Cut the dough into rectangles of 6 x 15 cm. Cut each rectangle lengthways into 3 strips, leaving one side uncut. Braid the 3 strips and press the cut ends together firmly.
Fry in the hot oil for 6–7 minutes until dark golden brown. Drain them on paper towels. Keep the rest of the koeksisters covered to prevent them from drying out.
Dip the koeksisters into the ice-cold syrup while they are still hot. Remove from the syrup with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack.
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