Tulumba

A classic Turkish dessert of choux-style dough piped into ridged fingers, fried until crisp and soaked in syrup. Served cold with tea.

Ingredients

• 450 g water (280 g for the dough, 170 g for the syrup)
• 25 g butter
• 250 g white flour
• 110 g egg (2 eggs)
• 20 g (2 tbsp) semolina
• 15 g (1½ tbsp) cornstarch
• 90 g sunflower oil (the amount absorbed during frying)
• 300 g sugar
• 3 g (a few drops) lemon juice

Instructions

1. 1

   Syrup: boil 170 g of the water with the sugar and simmer for 8-10 minutes until slightly thick. Add the lemon juice, boil 1 more minute and let cool completely.

2. 2

   Dough: bring 280 g of the water and the butter to a boil. Lower the heat, add the flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon for 3-4 minutes until it forms a ball that leaves the pan.

3. 3

   Transfer to a bowl and cool for 10 minutes. Add the semolina and cornstarch, then the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each.

4. 4

   Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.

5. 5

   Put the sunflower oil in a deep pot while cold (frying needs more oil; about 90 g ends up absorbed). Pipe 5 cm lengths straight into the cold oil, snipping with wet scissors.

6. 6

   Turn the heat to medium-low and fry for 12-15 minutes, turning, as the oil heats and the pieces puff and turn golden.

7. 7

   Drain the hot tulumba and drop them straight into the cold syrup; leave 5 minutes to soak, then lift onto a plate.

Nutrition

Per serving