Cariema Isaacs
Mar 252 min
Cape Malay Bollas, very much like our koe’sisters are traditionally made and eaten on a Sunday morning. Bollas are also very popular during Ramadaan when it graces our boekah or iftar tables.
Some see Bollas as the substitute for koe’sisters because it is also dipped in a sweet sugar syrup and sprinkled with coconut. It provides the same kind of comfort on our Sunday mornings.
Since koe’sisters are more cumbersome to make, bollas are often seen as the quick and easy alternative because there is no resting time required, nor is there any shaping needed. The batter is super simple to make, deep fried and almost immediately placed in warm sugar syrup. Finally then sprinkled with desiccated coconut.
My mom made Bollas religiously, every Sunday. Hers had an addition of black currants and a generous dose of vanilla, served with a warm cup of cardamom tea. My recipe these days is a hybrid of our family recipe and one shared with me by Feriel Sonday who has a very active Facebook page entitled Feriel Sonday’s Heavenly Bites! It’s next level, I promise. This woman can cook and bake!
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
¾ cup oil
5 ml vanilla essence
4 cups cake flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 cups buttermilk
Oil for deep frying
Coconut for sprinkling
Syrup
2½ cups sugar
2 cups water
2 pieces stick cinnamon (optional)
2 cardamom pods (optional)
Whisk the eggs and sugar in bowl until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla essence and oil and beat until creamy.
In a separate bowl, sift flour and baking powder twice. Add the flour mixture to egg mixture. Add the buttermilk and mix into a soft, sticky dough.
Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
Place spoonfuls of the mixture in hot oil and fry until golden brown. TIP: dip the spoon in cold water to ensure that the dough separates from spoon to form neatly rounded balls when dropped in the oil.
Place some syrup (see instructions below) in a pan. Heat through and add the bollas. Syrup the bollas until glossy and sprinkle with coconut.
NB: Not suitable freezing, but can be refrigerated before syruping.
Syrup
Allow the water and sugar to simmer over low heat in a pot until syrupy.
Variation: Add two pieces stick cinnamon and two cardamom pods while boiling the syrup.