Traditional tulumba with syrup — the crunchy dessert of Ottoman cuisine

Ingredients

For the dough: 250 ml water, 125 g butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, a pinch of salt, 160 g flour, 3 eggs (at room temperature), oil for frying.

For the syrup: 500 g sugar, 500 ml water, 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Preparation:

Prepare the syrup first: boil the water with the sugar for 8–10 minutes, add the lemon juice, boil for 2 more minutes and let it cool completely. In a pot, bring the water, butter, sugar and salt to a boil. When it boils, add the flour all at once and stir vigorously until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pot. Let the dough cool for 5–10 minutes, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg, until you get a soft, smooth dough.

Fill a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe strips of dough — either directly into cold oil or onto parchment paper. Heat the oil over medium heat and fry the tulumba until golden on all sides. Drain them while hot and immediately plunge them into the cold syrup; leave them for 2–3 minutes, then place them on a serving dish. Serve cold, decorated to taste with chopped walnuts. Preparation time: 20 minutes. Cooking time: 30 minutes. Servings: about 20 pieces.