Recipes

MasterChef SA koeksisters

Here's the ultimate koeksister recipe, from the official MasterChef South Africa cookbook.

Serves: 12 - 14

Ingredients

800 ml water
1,5 kg sugar
12,5 ml cream of tartar
40 ml lemon juice
for frying, sunflower oil
4 x 250ml (500g) cake flour
25ml baking powder
20ml margarine
1/2 large beaten egg
245ml water

Method

For the syrup:

Place the water, sugar and cream of tartar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Once the syrup starts to boil, add the lemon juice and continue to simmer for 10 minutes.

Cool the syrup to room temperature. Pour half of the syrup into a bowl and keep over ice to cool rapidly. Place the remaining syrup in the fridge to cool.

For the dough:

Sift the flour and baking powder together in a bowl and then rub in the margarine with your fingertips.

Add the beaten ½ egg to the water and whisk to incorporate.

Make a well in the centre of the fl our mixture. Pour in the water mixture and then start to mix until a smooth dough has formed. Knead thoroughly.

Cover with clingfilm and leave to rest for at least 15 minutes or up to 5 hours. Heat the oil to 160 °C.

Using an oiled rolling pin, roll out the dough on an oiled surface to a thickness of 5 mm. Cut the dough into rectangles of 6 x 15 cm. Cut each rectangle lengthways into 3 strips, leaving one side uncut. Plait the 3 strips and press the cut ends together firmly.

Fry in batches of 6 in the hot oil for 6–7 minutes, or until dark golden brown. Drain them for a few seconds on paper towels. Keep the rest of the koeksisters covered to prevent them from drying out.

Dip the koeksisters into the ice-cold syrup while they are still hot. Remove from the syrup with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack. The syrup will gradually become hot with use, so when you have done about half of the koeksisters take the remaining syrup from the fridge and use this for the balance.

Top tip: For a yummy flavour, add a piece of dried ginger and a stick of cinnamon to the syrup when the lemon juice is added. The colder the syrup the better! Make it the day before and place in the fridge to ensure it is ice cold.

Extracted from MasterChef South Africa: The Cookbook. Human & Rousseau.

 

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15 Comments

  • nokukhanya
    March 16, 2015

    lovely and spectacular thanks alot now i will get high marks at school for cookery class

    Reply
  • Debbie Hobbs
    April 18, 2015

    I was so excited to make these koeksisters (live in the United States) and used a conversion table. The only problem is that I could not figure out what 4 x 250 ml (500g) cake flour meant. Does it mean 500 grams of flour or does it mean 250 ml x 4 = 1000 ml ? Very disappointing 🙁

    Reply
    1. Enid Mullin
      April 27, 2015

      It means 4 measures of 250 ml (we call that 1 cup) will weigh 500g.
      So you can EITHER measure out 4 cups by volume, or weigh it and use 500g, or 1/2 a kilogram

    2. Dalene
      June 11, 2017

      Hi Debbie. Don’t know if you had a reply to your question yet. However I thought it well to answer. It is indeed 1000ml i.e. 4 cups. Enjoy the rest of your day! Dalene

    3. Kyle
      June 25, 2017

      Well 1000ml =500 grams, they say this so that you can use a cup measure and use four of them in case you do not have a scale but 1000ml is equivalent to 500 g but it more accurate to use a scale and measure grams

    4. Nicolas van wyk
      July 15, 2017

      This is probably very late and you have figured it out by now lol. .but it is 500g flour…
      Happy cooking and enjoy
      Kind regards
      Nic.

  • RETHA
    October 27, 2015

    I AM LOOKING FOR A RECIPE WHERE YOU PUT THE KOEKSISTERS IN THE WARM SYRUP PLEASE!!

    Reply
    1. Heather
      May 6, 2016

      There is a cape Malay recipe for these koesisters that my friend uses. Google Cape Malay koesisters

      Africhef has a good recipe

  • Lynne Franks
    May 31, 2016

    I have made these and I would like to know how to make them more sticky and moist with the syrup – mine were not as good as the Woolworths koeksisters.

    Reply
  • Cornelia
    August 10, 2016

    Question: why is there small hard lumps in my koeksisters?

    Reply
    1. Corno Landman
      November 5, 2016

      Hi Cornelia
      If you find the cause of the lumps please let me know I have the same problem. You can SMS me your phone No. and I will call you or you can email me.

      thank you
      Regards.

  • colleen koch
    August 21, 2016

    4×250 ml cake flour is 1 kg not 500 gms or 1/2 kg. make cake flour by taking 1 tablespoon of flour from a cup and replacing with 1 tablespoon of cornflour.

    Reply
  • Anna-marie
    September 1, 2016

    Ek soek raad vir die vgl :
    1. Is daar raad om te verhoed dat die koeksisters te gou sag of pap word.
    2. Wat veroorsaak dat die koeksisters soms bars.
    DANKIE.

    Reply
  • Barbara Johnson
    August 29, 2017

    I live in Australia now and I have to give a talk at our local U3A centre about my life in South Africa. I am going to make koeksusters for tea after my talk.
    Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
    1. Eat Out
      August 30, 2017

      Our pleasure, Barbara! We’ve no doubt everyone will love the koeksusters. Good luck for your talk 🙂

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