Tulumba Recipe (Touloumba)

Instructions

For this delicious sweet tulumba recipe , start by preparing the syrup. This very important for two reasons. Firstly, you will need one tablespoon of the syrup for the dough and secondly, you need to set aside the syrup to cool.

Syrup:

• In a pan add water, sugar and lemon juice. Bring this to boil and let it boil for 5-6 minutes.  Do not let the mix boil for longer as this will lead into an extremely thick syrup which will not be able to be absorbed by the fried dough.
• If you are using liquid glucose instead of the lemon juice then the liquid glucose to water and sugar and bring this to boil.
• Both liquid glucose and lemon juice do not allow the syrup to crystalise and thus allow it to be  just the right consistency for the dough.

Dough:

The dough requires a two step process; for the first step you will need a pan and for the second one you will need a handheld electric mixer.

• The first step is very similar to making choux pastry as seen in French cuisine.
• In a saucepan add water along with sunflower oil. As soon as the mixture begins to warm up significantly,  add the flour.
• The secret to this step is to stir continously the liquid mixture with the flour with a wooden spatula. The mixture will turn into a thick dough.
• You need to stir continuously with the spatula; please bear that this is a rather vigorous and laborious part of the recipe. Do this for approximately 5 minutes.
• You can stop beating the mixture when the dough is easily separated from the sides of the pan. Also, the floury smell will disappear when the dough is evenly mixed.
• Set the mixture aside for a couple of minutes before placing it in a mixer bowl.  Let the mixture cool before adding the rest of the ingredients. The reason being is that if the mixture is hot enough and you start adding the eggs, these will boil and you will end up with an omelette.
• Once the mixture has cooled down, start adding the eggs whilst beating the mixture with a flat beater. Do not add all the eggs at once but rather one by one.
• Adding eggs one by one will allow them to be absorbed and mixed properly.
• Continue beating the mixture and checking the consistency. The desired consistency  is a firm one.
• Fit the dough into a pipping bag with a star nozzle. Rest the pipping bag into a cylindrical container and fit the dough into the pipping bag. I find this provides enough support for the pipping.
• If you happen to  use plastic pipping bags, use 2-3 at any one time; the dough is firm enough and one bag may not be  able to withstand the pressure; 2-3 pipping bags will though.

Deep frying the dough:

•  In a large saucepan add enough sunflower oil fry the dough. Heat the pan. Do not use olive oil as this oil is not ideal for deep frying.
• When the oil is hot enough start pipping the dough. Pipe the dough into 5cm pieces and cut them with kitchen scissors.
• Deep fry the dough.
• Tulumba will be ready when it achieves a golden brown colour.

Final step:

• Dunk the fried the dough  into syrup (room temperature).
• Enjoy!!