A Simply Sweet African Treat

Abby Miller  

One of the many wonderful things about the University of Michigan is the wide range of cultures that thrive throughout the student population. With each comes a plethora of unique traditions: wardrobes, holidays, and most importantly, food. One of my good friends is from South Africa, and thanks to her I have tasted a multitude of incredible new flavors. One of my personal favorites is a dessert called a “Koeksuster” or “Cook Sister”. This is a South African dessert that is often sold at flea markets, a syrup-coated doughnut with a twisted or braided shape. The doughnuts are prepared by deep-frying dough in oil and then dipping it into cold sugar syrup. Here’s how to make them:

Ingredients

Dough:	Syrup:
2 cups cake flour	1 kg sugar
1/2 tsp. salt	1 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp. baking powder	1/2 tsp. ground ginger
4 tbsp. butter	2 cinnamon sticks
1 egg	Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup water
Oil for frying

Preparation:

Syrup:
Do this the night before preparing the dough, as you want the syrup to be super cold

1. Dissolve sugar in water
2. Add spices and lemon juice and bring to a boil. If desired, mix in a teaspoon or two of cream of tarter instead of lemon juice
3. Put syrup in fridge over night to cool

Dough:

1. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder
2. Rub in butter and mix until pliable
3. Add egg and water (a little at a time), knead well
4. Leave dough to rest at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours under the inverted mixing bowl

Making the Koeksusters:

1. Roll out dough to about 5 mm thickness
2. Cut into strips 5 cm long and 2 cm wide
3. Cut each strip into 3 shreds (do not cut through top) and braid the pieces together. Pinch dough together at bottom
4. Deep fry dough until golden brown. Remove and drain quickly
5. Dip dough into cold syrup. Keeping the syrup cold and the dough hot is key for getting the right amount of syrup drawn into the Koeksusters