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Traditional Cape Malay Koesisters

Fazila Olla-Logday
These much-loved South African traditional sticky spicy treats called Koesisters are so yummy! These are called koesisters, but are not to be confused with the traditional South African, Dutch style plaited koeksister!
Traditional Cape Malay Koesisters are aromatic doughnuts containing warming spices like ground cinnamon, cardamom,  ginger and mixed spice uplifted with the heady scent of aniseed and sometimes freshly grated naartjie peel.
What is the difference between Koeksister and Koesister?
These are both South African sweet treats that are deep fried and dipped in a sugar syrup, however that’s where the similarities end.
A koeksister is plaited, deep-fried and immediately dipped into a cold sugar syrup, resulting in a crispy exterior. The Cape Malay koesister is flavoured with cinnamon, cardamom, mixed spice, aniseed and of course ground dried naartjie peel and dipped into a hot sugar syrup and dusted with desiccated coconut.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Rising Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Tea Time Treats
Cuisine South African

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Cups Cake Flour
  • 2 Cups Self Raising Flour
  • 1/4 Cup Sugar
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • 1 10Gr Pkt Yeast
  • 1 Tbles Ground Cinnamon
  • 2 Tsps Ground Cardamom
  • 2 Tsps Ground Ginger
  • 2 Tsps Ground Aniseed
  • 2 Tbles Whole Aniseed
  • 2 Tsps Ground Dried Naartjie Peel Optional See Note
  • 1 Lrg Egg
  • 60 Gr Butter
  • 11/2 Cups Hot Water
  • 11/2 Cups Cold Milk
  • Oil for Deep Frying
  • Desiccated Coconut for Sprinkling

Syrup

  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1 Cup Water
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick
  • 2 Cardamom Pods

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, sift the cake flour and add sugar, salt, yeast and the spices.
  • Combine the milk, hot water and oil together and add the lightly beaten egg and mix well.
  • Add to the flour mixture and mix thoroughly to form a soft smooth dough. This is a very soft sticky dough so do not be tempted to add more flour. Rather use a bit of oil to rub on your hands. No kneading is necessary.
  • Leave to rise for about 1- 2 hours in a warm place.
  • Once risen, moisten hands with oil and roll dough into a sausage shape and cut into 2cm slices. I normally break off small golf ball sized pieces of dough weighing approximately 30 grams each and roll them between my palms to get a smooth ball then put them down to rise a second time. This recipes makes approximately 30 large koeksisters .
  • Place the slices on a lightly oil tray or directly on your countertop which has been rubbed with a very light film of cooking oil to prevent the dough from sticking.
  • Leave to rise for approximately 10-15 mins.
  • Lightly stretch slices to form an oval shape. Heat the oil in a medium pot or fryer and fry the koeksisters until golden brown.
  • Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
  • At this stage, the cooled koeksisters can be frozen for approximately 3 months.

Syrup

  • Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a slow boil, stirring to ensure sugar does not burn.
  • Stir until the sugar syrup becomes slightly sticky.
  • Boil the koeksisters in it for 1- 2 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon.
  • Sprinkle with a little of the dessicated coconut and serve hot.

Notes

How to Dry Citrus Peels
  1. Preheat oven to 120C/100C 
  2. Use a sharp knife to carefully scrape the white pith from the peel, taking care not to break the skin. 
  3. Place the peel on a baking tray and bake for 1 hour or until crisp.
  4. Grind into a powder and store in an airtight jar.
NB. A naartjie, is a soft loose-skinned South African citrus fruit with pips. It is also known as a mandarin, satsuma or tangerine outside of South Africa
Keyword Cape Malay Koesister, Koeksisters, Koesisters
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