Tulumba
Gulab Jamun meets Churros!
I recently came across this wonderful looking Turkish dessert on my Instagram feed. The first thought that occurred to me was that it is similar to Gulab Jamun, but in a whole different shape. I did my research and learned that the process is in fact very similar to Gulab Jamun and Malpua. I followed the recipe at Give Recipe almost entirely; I added ½ teaspoon of rose water to the sugar syrup, ½ teaspoon cardamom powder and ¼ teaspoon rose water to the dough, and replaced corn starch with corn flour just because I didn’t have starch on hand. I shared what I made with my friends the day I made it, and the whole batch of Tulumba disappeared in no time, so I think it turned out well.
Tulumba is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. They are deep fried then soaked in a lemon and sugar syrup. The presence of starch and semolina in the dough keeps it light and crispy. I learned that Tulumba in Turkish means “pump”, and it is called so because the dough is “pumped” out of a piping bag through a star nozzle to make each piece.
I had quite an adventurous time making this. First off, I haven’t fried anything when the oil isn’t hot. For getting the right texture, you should drop the Tulumba into cold oil and cook over medium heat, waiting for them to rise a little and then increase the heat slowly. This is for the inside of the pieces to get cooked well. Second, my star nozzle was simply too small. Think tiny. Thank God Suraj was home and made a quick trip to the store to get the right sized nozzle. Third, I didn’t realize I was going to get around 50 of these pieces. I felt like I was cooking forever.
This is a really good dessert to make for a crowd. Once the dough is ready there is not much work other than frying and dropping them in the syrup. It is so good that you can keep eating them. If you have a sweet tooth this mouthwatering bite-sized dessert is a must try.
Tulumba
Tulumba (Gulab Jamun meets Churros)
Boil water and sugar.
Add lemon juice and let boil for 5-10 minutes. Let cool completely.
Put water and butter in a pot. Mix well to melt the butter in water.
Add salt and sugar.
Sift the flour and slowly add it into the pot, mixing as you add with a wooden spoon until you have a non-sticky dough, for about 10 minutes over low heat.
Remove from the stove top and let the dough cool down.
Break the eggs one at a time, and mix with your hands or using a stand mixer.
Add in starch and semolina and continue mixing until you have a creamy dough.
Add oil to a frying pan.
Fill the dough into a piping bag with a star nozzle attached to the end.
Squeeze the dough pieces into oil while it is still cold. To cut the pieces as they drop, use either a pair of scissors, or even your fingers — just keep in mind that each needs to be 2 to 3 centimeters long.
Let the pieces double in size over medium heat. The slower they are fried, the crunchier they will be
After they are fried, dunk them into cold syrup. Let them soak in the syrup for 1-2 minutes and take them out using a slotted spoon
Before frying the next batch of dough, let the oil cool down before repeating the process.
Garnish with chopped pistachios and rose petals.
Thank you for trying this with me!
I’d love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #ttwmblog and I’ll be sure to find it.
Ingredients
Directions
Boil water and sugar.
Add lemon juice and let boil for 5-10 minutes. Let cool completely.
Put water and butter in a pot. Mix well to melt the butter in water.
Add salt and sugar.
Sift the flour and slowly add it into the pot, mixing as you add with a wooden spoon until you have a non-sticky dough, for about 10 minutes over low heat.
Remove from the stove top and let the dough cool down.
Break the eggs one at a time, and mix with your hands or using a stand mixer.
Add in starch and semolina and continue mixing until you have a creamy dough.
Add oil to a frying pan.
Fill the dough into a piping bag with a star nozzle attached to the end.
Squeeze the dough pieces into oil while it is still cold. To cut the pieces as they drop, use either a pair of scissors, or even your fingers — just keep in mind that each needs to be 2 to 3 centimeters long.
Let the pieces double in size over medium heat. The slower they are fried, the crunchier they will be
After they are fried, dunk them into cold syrup. Let them soak in the syrup for 1-2 minutes and take them out using a slotted spoon
Before frying the next batch of dough, let the oil cool down before repeating the process.
Garnish with chopped pistachios and rose petals.