Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Nostalgia

 

Ah, food! It 'speaks' to me in so many ways - so many memories are tied to particular foods or specific meals and events. It seems to be one of the ways I store my personal history ... 

Though these delectables below don't bring me a specific memory, they are laced with nostalgia for our place of origin - South Africa. These are Koeksusters (or Koeksisters): the dough is braided, fried in hot oil, and then immediately steeped in sugar syrup for a few minutes. It's a recipe that originated in the Afrikaner culture (descendants of Dutch settlers) and became a commonplace confection throughout the country.



I've made them a few times, but not very often, since there are quite a few different steps to follow (time consuming), but today I was hankering after them, so I made some. Such indulgence!


Koeksusters:

Syrup
625 ml (2.5 c) sugar
250 ml (1 c) water
12. 5 ml (1Tbsp) lemon juice
5 (1 tsp) vanilla essence

Bring sugar and water to the boil (uncovered) over low heat. Stir every now and then. 
Cook syrup slowly for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from stove and stir in lemon juice and essence.

Dough:
375ml (1.5 c) cake flour
22 ml (2 Tbsp) baking powder
25 ml or 20 g butter (about 2 Tbsp)
150 ml milk
1 ml salt (¼ tsp)

Sift flour, baking powder and salt
Rub in butter. Cut in the milk with a spatula.
Roll dough out to 5 mm thick.
Cut and braid the dough.
Place the braided koeksusters in hot oil and cook till browned.
Lift koeksusters out and immerse them in the lukewarm syrup.

2 comments:

Georgette said...

Ooooh... picture and recipe! They look more than amazing. You could write a food column for the Portland Press Herald!!! People are so into food right now and they also know so little about South Africa. Something to think about.

Debbie said...

Not for the diet- or health-conscious, that's for sure