The first time that I had “souskluitjies” for dessert, was at my Grandma Naomi Uys’s house in Johannesburg when I was about 15 years old. My Ouma was a very grand lady – perfectly groomed, well-traveled, informed and very stylish. Their townhouse in Northcliff was impeccable, filled with beautiful Persian carpets and mohair curtains.

She was a fantastic cook and her love for exotic dishes like stuffed leg of Springbok made a huge impression on me as a child. She also loved a good gin and tonic before dinner, and knew everything about cricket.

When I first tasted Ouma Naomi’s souskluitjies, I was completely hooked: feather-light dumplings in a buttery sweet cinnamon sauce. I could have finished the whole batch! Unfortunately, I don’t have her original recipe, but this is the closest I could get. These souskluitjies are best when they are freshly made and still piping hot, but they can be reheated the next day and should still hold their nostalgic magic!

Souskluitjies

Ingredients:

• 250 ml self raising flour
• a pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 50 ml milk
• 100 ml melted butter
• 60-75 ml cinnamon sugar (to taste)
• water for boiling, with 2 t flour, 2 t vegetable oil and a pinch of salt

Method:

1. Half-fill a large, wide saucepan/pot with water, then add 2t flour, 2 t veg oil and pinch of salt, and bring to a slow simmer.
2. While heating the water, mix eggs, milk and 50 ml butter. Now add self-raising flour and pinch of salt and mix to a thick batter. Don’t overmix.
3. Drop spoonsful of the batter into the simmering water (you can do all of them in one batch if your pot is large enough). Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, covered, taking care that the mixture don’t boil over. Just regulate the temperature so that it is simmering very slowly, without peeping too often!
4. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon and arrange in a serving dish. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar (you will need more than you think, because the batter is not sweetened) and drizzle with the remaining 50 ml butter. Let it stand for 5 minutes to give the sugar some time to melt, then serve at once.

Download recipe card here