A fond childhood memory was waking up early on a Saturday morning when koeksisters [known as crullers in English] were being made early in the morning for a church cake sale. The syrup was always made on Friday nights and allowed to get really cold overnight, one of the secrets of the success of koeksisters. Even during use it was surrounded with ice cubes so that the hot koeksisters would suck in the cinnamon and lemon syrup. The oil also could not be too hot [180°C] otherwise they would be dark and hard on the outside and not properly cooked on the inside. Koeksisters – or as some will have it koesisters – were originally from Batavia and are generally plaited, though often in Malay homes will be made with mashed potato, called bollas, cooked in an oblong shape and not plaited and served rolled in coconut.
Koeksisters or Crullers
You’ll need:
For the syrup: 1 kg white sugar, 500ml water, 4 pieces stick cinnamon about 4cm in length, 6 whole cloves, 6 allspice berries, 2 pieces – thumb size – fresh green ginger, well bruised with a rolling pin, 3 strips of lemon peel, 2cm wide & 4 cm long, 2 Tbs lemon juice, a pinch of salt, a knifepoint of crème of tartar, 1tsp glycerine – add just before dipping to give the koeksisters a shiny coat.
For the koeksisters: 500g cake flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp mixed spices, ½ tsp salt, 4 Tbs butter, frozen and cut into tiny squares, 1 cup milk, ½ cup buttermilk, sunflower oil for deep frying, desiccated coconut, if using.Method: The day before, prepare the syrup. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently while dissolving the sugar. When the sugar has dissolved, bring the mixture to the boil and boil for 5 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool. Leave the spices and peel in the syrup and when sufficiently cold, pour into a glass bowl and place in the refrigerator overnight. Shortly before use, it can be placed in the deep freeze to get it really cold. Now prepare the koeksisters. Have ready two slotted spoons, one for lifting the koeksisters out of the hot fat and another for putting them into and removing them from the syrup. Have ready a tray with kitchen paper on it and another with a cake rack on it. Sift the flour, baking powder, spices and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the milk and buttermilk and pulse till the ingredients are combined. Turn out onto a floured board and knead gently until the mixture forms a soft dough. Divide the mixture in two and place in a bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow it to rest. When you are ready to make the koeksisters, have ready a baking tray covered with greaseproof paper. Have another lined with absorbent kitchen paper and one containing a cake rack on which to drain the koeksisters once they have been dipped into the syrup. Have a large bowl filled with ice containing the bowl with the strained syrup. Pat one of the balls of dough out on a floured board into a rectangular shape about 2.5cm thick. Using a floured rolling pin, roll it out into a rectangle 20cm by 10cm about 1cm thick. Cut the rectangle into four strips across the width and six strips across the height. This will give you 12 koeksisters. Cut each one into three strips, leaving them joined across the top. Plait them and sealing the ends with water tuck them underneath. Place them on the baking tray and cover with the damp tea towel while you repeat the process with the other ball of dough. In a deep heavy saucepan heat the oil to 180°C on a thermometer and then fry the koeksisters 5 at a time, turning them with the slotted spoon to brown them evenly on both sides. Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper for a short while. While they are still hot drop them into the syrup for about a minute. When ready, remove them with the slotted spoon, drain a moment and place them on the cake rack. Continue with this process until all the koeksisters have been fried and dipped in the syrup. Serve them warm when they are at their best or at room temperature.
Makes 24 koeksisters