"A week can't go by without me eating about 10 koesisters," says Naseer Abdullah, head chef of Radisson RED Hotel in Cape Town, which recently hosted a koesister "Koek Off".
"Koesisters are an integral part of my life because of the legacy — my grandmother used to make them," he adds.
"Whether you make them for others or enjoy them for yourself, it is a dish that will carry on for generations."
He tells us more about these traditional Cape Malay treats:
What's the difference between the koesister and a koeksister?
The Afrikaans original, koeksister, is a golden, twisted plait, crisp on the outside with a sweet syrupy centre. Koesisters are a Cape Malay delicacy, oval dough balls with a doughnut-like texture, flavoured with spices and naartjie peel and much darker in colour.
When are koesisters traditionally served?
Koesisters is predominantly a Sunday tradition; however, on occasions such as a Gadat or prayer evenings - which are part of Muslim culture - koesisters definitely bring a sweetness to these happy occasions.
How did you learn to make koesisters?
I used to watch my grandmother, Gabeba Van Oordt, knead the dough and I'd constantly ask her a million questions and she finally answered all.
Your top tip for making them?
As funny as this may sound, making a good koesister dough should be treated like a baby. It requires a lot of attention and your time, so be patient and let the ingredients speak for themselves.
CHEF ABDULLAH'S KOESISTER RECIPE
Makes: about 80
Dough:
1.5l (6 x 250ml) cups of cake flour
120g(1 cup) self-raising flour
15ml (1 tbsp) dried lemon peel
15ml (1 tbsp) ground cinnamon
10ml (2 tsp) ground ginger
10ml (2 tsp) ground cardamom
20ml (4 tsp) whole aniseed
125ml (½ cup) of sugar
1 x 10g sachet instant yeast
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
60g butter
375ml (1 ½ cups) boiling water
750ml (3 cups) warm milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
To fry:
1 litre vegetable oil
Sugar syrup:
500ml (2 cups) sugar
500ml (2 cups) water
1 small stick cinnamon
1 cardamom pod, crushed
Coconut coating:
2-3 cinnamon sticks
20g pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
250ml (1 cup) desiccated coconut
Mix the flours with peel, spices, sugar, yeast and salt.
Method:
- To make the dough, mix the flours with the peel, spices, sugar, yeast and salt.
- Melt butter in boiling water and combine with milk.
- Add to the milk mixture to the dry ingredients with the eggs and mix thoroughly to form a soft, smooth dough. If the texture of the dough is too stiff, add some lukewarm water or milk.
- Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and leave to rise for 1-2 hours in a warm place.
- Once risen, moisten your hands with a little oil and roll the dough into small balls in the palm of your hand. Set aside for 15 minutes to rise again.
- Preheat the oil in a medium-sized shallow pan or wok.
- Deep-fry the balls in hot oil for about three minutes on each side. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
- Place all the ingredients for the syrup in a large saucepan and bring to a slow boil, stirring to ensure the sugar does not burn. Stir until the syrup reduces and becomes slightly sticky.
- Add the koesisters to the syrup and boil for 1-2 minutes then remove with a slotted spoon.
- Combine the coconut ingredients in a bowl. Sprinkle over the koesisters and serve warm.
