For many South African locals, this fried dough is way better then doughnuts. Let's uncover some of the secrets of the koesister, a national delicacy that's deeply rooted in Cape Malay tradition.
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00:00Who needs doughnuts when the South Africans have kusisters?
00:04Kusisters are a deep-fried sweet dough topped with coconut.
00:08But is that the only secret that makes them so delicious?
00:13Let's take a closer look at these deep-fried balls,
00:15which originate from the Burkop region in Cape Town
00:18and are popular with Muslim communities across the country.
00:24So lovely, they're delicious, tasty.
00:27It's in our culture that we eat this.
00:29We enjoy them on a Sunday morning.
00:32Remind me of my granny, how she used to make it.
00:35The secret of Cape Malay doughnuts?
00:38Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
00:41You might think that's easy, right?
00:44Yola's been making these kusisters famous
00:47in the historic Johannesburg community of Fitas for over 10 years.
00:51The one day I just decided, let me start trying with my mummy.
00:56So together we made dough,
00:59and I wasn't happy with the dough, but we kept on trying.
01:03And then eventually I started making my own
01:09and started selling it.
01:13This sweet treat is made from dough balls with yeast and various spices.
01:18It is fried, dipped in syrup, then rolled in desiccated coconut.
01:23Who could ask for anything tastier?
01:26Let's see how it's made.
01:31In addition to the flour and yeast,
01:33kusisters generally contain cinnamon, aniseed, ginger and cardamom.
01:38Other recipes call for ground tangerine peel as well.
01:42These warm, traditional spices are a characteristic of Cape Malay cuisine.
01:47Some say it's like taking a bite out of Christmas.
01:53So I'm going to mix the spices with the cake flour.
01:59I'll be pouring some water
02:05just to make a dough.
02:07Now I'll be adding my oil.
02:19So this is the dough, it's ready now.
02:22So it's just going to be one side to rise.
02:25And then I've got another batch that I made earlier.
02:29So that one we're going to roll out and fry.
02:34I prefer cutting it because then the dough is much easier to handle
02:39and it will all be more or less the same size.
02:43Now that the dough balls are ready, it's time to deep fry them.
02:53Secret 2. These are now drenched in boiling syrup.
03:01Secret 3. Coconut
03:04The kusisters are ready to eat.
03:06But there's an even bigger secret.
03:10Secret 4. It has a sister.
03:13Now if that isn't enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, there's more.
03:17Add an extra K in the word kusister and you get the kuksister.
03:22A crispier, stickier and even sweeter version of this treat.
03:26It looks a little different too.
03:28While the kusister is rolled in balls, the kuksister is formed into a plated shape.
03:37And while kusisters are cooled and then dipped in hot syrup,
03:40kuksisters are dunked straight from the pan into cold syrup.
03:44So ice-cold syrup is really a necessity when it comes to kuksisters.
03:48The crunch is what we live for.
03:50We're in Pretoria, a largely Afrikaans populated city.
03:53And where the Afrikaans are, so are kuksisters.
03:57While this even more syrupy friend can be traced back to 17th century Holland,
04:01the less sticky kusister was introduced to South Africa
04:04by Cape Malay slaves from Southeast Asia in the 17th and 18th centuries.
04:10While both words end with sister and refer to sweet, syrupy pastries,
04:14kuk translates to cake or cookie in Dutch.
04:18The term sister has been said to come from two sisters making this treat together.
04:23While the meaning of kusister hasn't entirely been determined,
04:26it has its origins in the Cape Malay language.
04:29From the Buakap region in Cape Town formerly known as the Cape Malay Quarter
04:33to here in Fitas, Johannesburg, South Africa,
04:36you'll find people enjoying kusisters fresh on a Sunday morning.
04:40Here, many of Yola's customers buy them by the dozen.
04:44There's even a World Kusister Day celebrated on the first Sunday in September.
04:50So, are you ready to get your hands sticky and taste these delectable treats?
04:55Well, when you do, take a moment to appreciate the cultural significance
04:59and the centuries-old journey that each bite carries.
05:03Which do you think you'll like the best?
05:06Let us know in the comments below.