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Souskluitjies
Souskluitjies: Cape dumplings poached and soaked in a buttery cinnamon syrup
Boland farm kitchens served souskluitjies after Sunday lunch when it was too wet and cold for anything chilled: spoonfuls of soft batter poached in a covered pot until they swell into light, cloud-like dumplings, then bathed in a hot syrup of butter, sugar and cinnamon. Each one is fluffy inside with a tender, slightly slick outside that drinks up the sauce, and the syrup pools at the bottom of the bowl for spooning up last. They are good on their own and even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a jug of thin custard. Lifting the lid while they poach is the usual mistake, because the steam escapes and the dumplings sink and turn heavy. Chef's tip: dip your spoon in the simmering water before scooping each dumpling so the batter slides off cleanly and keeps a neat round shape.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dumplings
- 7 oz plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp saltplus 1 tsp for the poaching water
- 1 egglarge
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 oz buttermelted and cooled
For the cinnamon syrup
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 ⅛ oz butter
- 1 tsp ground cinnamonfor dusting
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 5 ½ oz sugar, 1 cup water, 2 ⅛ oz butter and 1 cinnamon stick in a small pan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Simmer until slightly syrupy, like warm maple syrup, then keep warm on the lowest heat.
8 minStep 2: Half-fill a wide pot that has a tight-fitting lid with water, add 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat.
Step 3: Whisk 7 oz plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder and ½ tsp salt together in a bowl.
Step 5: Drop heaped dessertspoons of batter into the simmering water, leaving room between them to swell. You should get about 12; cook them in two batches if the pot is small.
Step 6: Cover tightly and simmer over a low heat without lifting the lid until the dumplings have doubled in size and a skewer pushed into one comes out clean.
10 minStep 7: Lift the dumplings out with a slotted spoon, let the water drip off, and put them in a warm serving dish. Cook any remaining batter the same way.
10 minStep 8: Remove the cinnamon stick, pour the hot syrup over the dumplings, dust with 1 tsp ground cinnamon and leave for 2 minutes to soak before serving.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does souskluitjies take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
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