Tulumba Tatlısı (pronounced as tat-luh-suh), is one of the most popular desserts from Turkey. Tulumba is a fried dough, very similar to churros that is then soaked in a sugar syrup. The result is a crispy exterior, with a soft juicy interior, that bursts with flavour as you bite into it.

Recipe

Serves: 8

Ingredients

For the sugar syrup:

• 200g caster sugar

• 150ml water

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1.5 tsp rosewater

• slice of lemon, optional

For the fried dough:

• 160ml water

• 10g unsalted butter

• pinch of salt

• 125g plain flour, sifted

• 1/2 tbsp cornflour

• 1 tbsp semolina

• 60g whole egg

• oil, for frying

Method

For the sugar syrup:

• In a pot, add the sugar and water. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil.

• Add the lemon juice, along with the slice of lemon and cook until the sugar thickens a little~ 10 mins.

• Remove from heat and add rosewater. Cool down completely. You can prepare the syrup a day in advance or put it in the refrigerator to cool down faster.

Make the dough:

• In a medium pot, add the water, butter and pinch of salt. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil.

• Remove from heat, add the sifted flour and use a wooden spoon/spatula to mix rigorously.

• Return the pot to medium heat and cook until the mixture forms into a dough, stirring continuously. This will take about 3-5 mins.

• Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl to a stand mixer. Allow to cool until it is warm to touch.

• With the paddle attachment on, start mixing the dough on low speed.

• With the mixer still running, stream in the egg in 3-4 additions, allowing the first addition to mix completely before adding more. Scrape down the sides of the bowl in between.

• Mix on medium speed until the mixture is no longer warm to touch, and has a shine to it.

• Add the cornflour and semolina and mix until combined.

• Transfer to a piping bag, fitted with French tip nozzle or a star nozzle*. Refrigerate for 15 mins.

Fry the dough:

• Add oil to a medium pot.** Pipe the dough into room temperature oil*** and use a greased scissors to cut the dough. You can make them longer or shorter, as per your liking. Do not crowd the pot.

• Place the pot over medium heat and cook until the dough has started to colour. Once golden brown, flip the dough and allow to cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes until golden brown in colour.

• Use a slotted spoon to remove the tulumba and drain the excess oil on a plate lined with paper towel.

• Before frying the next batch, allow the oil to cool down for 5-10 mins before piping more dough into it. Repeat until you have used up all the dough.

Soak the dough:

• Add the tulumba to the cooled sugar syrup and soak for 2-3 minutes.

• Drain them on a sieve to catch the excess syrup.

• Garnish with chopped pistachios. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Notes:

*- Make sure to use a thick nozzle here. Use the biggest size you have available. Thicker the nozzle, the better.

**- Use a wide pot if possible as you can fry more at a time.

***- Very important to use room temp oil for frying as it helps with the texture.

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