Tunisian Yo-Yo's (doughnuts)

   In my quest to find more recipes from around the world, my best friend told me about a type of doughnut she'd had in Tunisia. After some searching, I found some information on a Tunisian street food called "Yo-yo's." Yo-yo's are an adaption on the typical Western doughnut, but with a North African flair.

   They're made with orange juice and coconut, and dipped in a warm honey syrup. I altered the syrup slightly by using orange juice instead of water, and adding a hint of vanilla extract. I topped the freshly soaked doughnuts with black sesame seeds. The nuttiness complimented the sweetness quite well, although I didn't photograph them with the seeds, as the little black specks didn't look very appetizing! If you're going to use sesame seeds, I recommend the unhulled white variety!

For the dough --

3 Eggs

1/4 Orange juice (fresh or bottled)

2 Tbs Finely chopped Coconut

1/4 Vegetable oil

1/4 Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

2 1/2 cups Flour

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For the syrup --

2 cups Water or Orange juice

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Honey or Agave Nectar

2 Tbs Lemon juice (Real Lemon is fine)

2 cups Oil for frying

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Before you get your ingredients, lets have a word about coconut! Knowing that I only needed 2 Tbs of coconut, I decided to go with fresh for this recipe, thinking "how hard can it be to open and prepare a coconut?" Well, lets just say that if I was ever going to make this recipe again, I'd use either the sugary, shredded kind that they sell in the baking aisle, OR I'd spend the extra couple dollars to buy the pre-prepared fresh coconut from Whole Foods. Problem with that, is it seems to be a seasonal thing, and I really didn't feel like spending the extra time and fuel to go there on the off chance that they might have it.

So, if you're using a fresh and whole coconut... know what you're getting into! I used some tips from > here < to make sure I didn't end up with a gigantic mess. Although, I still ended up with a gigantic mess, and coconut fuzz all over my kitchen. 

The inner brown flesh of a coconut is edible if you don't want to deal with cutting around it (which I didn't.)

To get going, add your eggs, orange juice (I used Blood Orange, since it's what I had on hand), 1 Tbs of the coconut, and sugar to a blender. Blend until smooth and frothy.

  

         
   

Transfer the mix to a medium or large bowl, sift in the flour and baking soda, and knead it until flour is completely absorbed. I found it best to mix as much in as possible with a fork before kneading. The dough may be sticky! If for some reason it's too dry, add water a tiny bit at a time. Cover the bowl, and let the dough sit for about an hour.

In the meantime, start the syrup. Add the water or juice, sugar and lemon juice to a small saucepan on high heat. Stir the mixture constantly until it comes to a boil, and the sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to low, and add the honey and remaining coconut. Simmer for 10 minutes, keeping a close eye on it -- if it the gets too hot, the honey can boil over suddenly! Reduce heat to the lowest possible setting to keep syrup warm.

When it comes to cooking the doughnuts, if you have it, I recommend using a stove top or an electric wok. Years of making Chinese cuisine with my mother has taught me that a wok is one of the best instruments for frying. The bowl shape helps reduce oil splatter on your counters and stove, and the subtle shallowness of it is perfect for getting the most out the oil you'll use. Plus, it'll allow you to fry more at once than a typical pan. However, if you don't have a wok, add the oil to a small sauce pan and on high heat.

Place a small amount of flour in a bowl for your hands -- you'll need it to work the dough without it sticking to you! To make the proper size for Yo-yo's, use about a walnut sized ball of dough at a time. Dust your hands with flour first, roll each bit of dough a little, and flatten slightly into your palm. Use your thumb to press a hole into the dough. You may want to dip your thumb in flour first. Drop each doughnut into the hot oil for about 1.5-2 minutes on each side. Use a slotted spoon, spatula, or cooking chopsticks to flip and remove them. Let sit on paper towels to drain.

Take your little golden doughnuts and dip them into the warm syrup. You may want to let them soak for a little bit, just to soak up a bit more. As noted earlier, I sprinkled some of the just-soaked doughnuts with black sesame seeds, but it looked horrible (tasted great, though!) So, if you serve them to anyone besides yourself, use white seeds!

I sprinkled them with a little sugar, and voila! Delicious little Yo-yo's! Absolutely wonderful with a cup of tea. I like to dip them.

Enjoy!