koeksister recipe: Pretty Please : )

Bettyboop

Hi, are there any South Africans online tonight? The internet is full of different versioins for Koeksisters. I am craving them so much and fancy adding them to my daughters party for the adults on Saturday if they last that long of course.

Please will you share your recipe. I have tried recipes on the internet but when I have finished they almost resemble the texture of doughnuts or the dough is really sticky.

Thanks a lot!

odds-n-sods

What are they??

Bettyboop

They are like a sweet snack. Plated dough fried in oil and then dipped in an ice cold syrup mixture. Very yummy! I'm not really sure how else to descibe what they are.

Hapless_2

hang on I will scout for you...(hubby S.A. citizen )

Bettyboop

Hapless....just wondering you got anywhere with your hubby? If not don't worry. I hope someone will be along soon. Thanks anyway.

Justamum

Right, I've got my South African cook book open in front of me. Are you prepared for all the faff involved? I made them once years ago (hubby is South African) and vowed never again to bother. However my dh has told his workmates that I will make a batch for him to take in so they can try them.
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Syrup (to be prepared at least one day before you make the koeksisters)

800g sugar (yes, really!)
625ml water
1 large cinnamon stick
crushed root ginger (not sure of size, but shouldn't imagine it should be too big) or twist of lemon peel. Actually it's not clear whether it's cinnamon OR ginger OR lemon peel or cinnamon AND ginger or lemon peel!

Mix sugar and water in a pan and heat very slowly until the sugar has dissolved. Add cinnamon, ginger or lemon and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Leave to cool then refrigerate.

For the koeksisters.

500g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
20ml baking powder
75g butter or margarine
1 tbs sugar
2 beaten eggs
250ml cold water (approximately)

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together, rub in butter. Add the sugar, eggs and water and mix to a soft dough (scone-like). Chill for 30 minutes. Roll it out until about 5mm thick, but into rectangles about 8cm x4 cm. Starting 1 cm from one end make two vertical cuts in the rectangles so there are three strips joined at the top. Plait them loosely. Secure the ends by brushing with a little beaten egg.

They should be deep-fried - heat the oil to 190C and fry for 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oil and dip immediately into the very cold syrup. Remove from syrup and leave to dry slightly on a cake rack which you have placed over a tray to catch the drips. This recipe makes about 24.
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Actually reading it again it doesn't sound such a faff as I remember it. I made them in in in-laws useless kitchen so that might have had something to do with it. The only trouble is I haven't got a chip pan or deep fat fryer!

Hope this helps. Enjoy! They are very greasy and sickly.

Bettyboop

Thanks very much for taking the time to share your recipe. I'm going to give this recipe a go. In South Africa people usually buy them from the supermarket and they are delicious. But I know what you mean about hard work. They can take a couple of hours from start to finish!

Justamum

From what I remember they do taste better than the bought ones in SA. What we do miss are the Portuguese rolls. If we ever win the lottery hubby wants to buy a private game reserve and move back there. He really hates it here, but we are stuck at the moment, and there's no work there for him - we went back 4 years ago and were back within a year as his pay was so awful we couldn't afford food and schooling and medical care.

Hapless_2

I could not find a recipe typical, but then as OH said, just like many regional recipes, each family has it's own.