Place sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil over low heat and stir frequently until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Boil for 5 – 7 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the stove and stir in the lemon juice and vanilla essence.
Leave to cool and refrigerate for about 2 – 3 hours. The syrup should be as cold as possible.
Koeksisters:
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Grate the butter and rub it into the flour mixture.
Add the buttermilk. Mix well until a soft dough is formed. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a 22 cm long, 2 cm thick sausage.
Use kitchen scissors and cut into
5 cm pieces. Heat the oil in a pot until fairly hot.
Deep fry a few koeksister bites at a time until golden brown all over.
Remove from the oil and drain briefly on absorbent paper and then place them directly into the cold syrup. It is important to keep the syrup cool, so between soakings, return the syrup to the fridge if necessary, to maintain its coolness.
Remove the koeksister bites from the syrup and place on a wire rack to allow the excess syrup to drip off. Refrigerate until cold.
HINTS & TIPS:
Add a 2 cm piece of ginger and a stick of cinnamon to the syrup when the lemon juice is added for a delicious flavour.
The colder the syrup the better. Prepare 1 day ahead of time and place in the fridge to ensure it is ice cold.
Place the syrup in the freezer to speed up the chilling process.
