Halka Dessert

A classic Turkish street sweet: crisp-outside, soft-inside fried rings soaked in cold syrup. Best eaten fresh with a glass of tea.

Ingredients

• 450 g water (250 g for the dough, 200 g for the syrup)
• 25 g butter
• 180 g white flour
• 20 g semolina
• 100 g (2) eggs
• 100 g sunflower oil (amount absorbed while frying)
• 300 g sugar
• 5 g (1 tsp) lemon juice

Instructions

1. 1

   For the syrup, bring 200 g water and the sugar to a boil and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice, boil 1 more minute and let it cool completely.

2. 2

   For the dough, bring the remaining 250 g water and the butter to a boil. Lower the heat, add the flour and semolina all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for 3-4 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides.

3. 3

   Transfer the dough to a bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time until smooth.

4. 4

   Spoon the dough into a piping bag with a star tip. Warm the sunflower oil slightly in a wide pot and pipe 6-7 cm rings directly into the oil.

5. 5

   Turn the heat to medium and fry the rings for 12-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until slowly puffed and golden.

6. 6

   Lift the hot rings out with a slotted spoon, drop them into the cold syrup for 2-3 minutes to soak, then transfer to a serving plate.

Nutrition

Per serving