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South Africa, Middle East and Africa · Vetkoek with Curried Mince

Cinnamon-Sugar Vetkoek Bites with Apricot-Rooibos Dip

Crisp little squares of vetkoek dough fried golden, tossed in cinnamon sugar and dunked in a glossy apricot jam dip scented with South African rooibos tea.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time46 min
Rising+ 1 h
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Mix the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a bowl. Add the lukewarm milk and melted butter and knead for into a soft, smooth dough.

    Add in this stepPlain (all-purpose) flour 160 gSugar 15 gInstant dry yeast ¾ tspSalt 1 pinchMilk, lukewarm (about 40 °C) 100 mlButter, melted 10 g

  2. Cover and leave in a warm place for , until doubled in size.

  3. Steep the rooibos in the boiling water for , then squeeze out and remove the tea bags. Pour the tea into a small saucepan with the jam and lemon juice and simmer on low heat for , stirring, until smooth and glossy. Let it cool; it thickens as it cools.

    Add in this stepRooibos tea bags 1Boiling water 60 mlApricot jam 4 tbspLemon juice 1½ tsp

    low heat

  4. Knock back the dough and roll it out on a floured surface to about 1.5 cm thick. Cut into 16 squares of about 3 cm, spread them out on a floured tray, cover loosely and rest for .

  5. Pour the oil into a 18 cm heavy pot at least 4 cm deep (no more than half full) and heat on medium heat for about , to 175 °C. A scrap of dough should float up at once and sizzle briskly.

    Add in this stepVegetable oil for deep-frying 700 ml

    medium heat

  6. Fry the squares on medium heat for per batch, turning them with a slotted spoon, until puffed and golden all over. Fry in 2 batch(es) so the oil temperature does not drop. Drain briefly on kitchen paper. Never leave hot oil unattended.

    medium heat

  7. Mix the coating sugar and cinnamon in a wide bowl and toss the bites in it while they are still warm, so the sugar sticks. Serve at once with the apricot-rooibos dip.

    Add in this stepSugar for coating 3 tbspGround cinnamon 1 tsp

Cook's tip

Toss the bites within a minute of frying; once cool, the sugar will not stick. No rooibos? Use black tea, or simply water with a strip of orange zest. Pale, greasy bites mean the oil was too cool, so let it reheat between batches.

Cooking it at camp

Bring the dough and the dip from home in lidded containers. Fry in a small, heavy pot on a stable burner with a lid within reach and children kept away, and shake the bites in a bag with the cinnamon sugar. Let the oil cool completely before pouring it back into a bottle.