Tunisian Doughnut

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 4

Ingredients

Doughnut
500g flour
½ cup sugar
½ cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tbsp baking powder
Zest of ½ orange
1 pinch salt
1 tbsp orange blossom water
1 tbsp tahini

Syrup
300g honey
3 tbsp orange blossom
Juice of one lemon

Vegetable oil to deep-fry
50g crushed nuts (almonds, pistachios, walnuts) or sesame seeds

Method

In a mixing bowl whisk eggs, oil, salt, sugar, orange zest, orange blossom, tahini and milk. Combine this egg mix with the baking powder and 400g of the flour then rest for one hour.

In the meantime, combine all of the syrup ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Fold the rest of the flour into the dough.

On a floured surface, roll the dough to 5mm thick then cut then with a round pastry cutter to create a circle, and make a small hole in the middle with another small pastry cutter to make a doughnut shape.

In a large wok or saucepan, pour in the oil to about 4cm depth and heat to 180°C. Carefully place the doughnuts into the oil one by one and fry until golden, then drain on paper towel.

Place the crushed nuts/sesame seeds in a shallow bowl. Dip the donuts in the warm syrup, then roll gently in the nuts to coat.

Serve with unsweetened mint tea.