Traditional Turkish Delight Recipe

Modern recipes for Turkish Delight use gelatin but the traditional recipe produces a superior texture and is vegetarian-friendly. Ingredients 800 g (28 oz, 4 cups) sugar 120 g (4½ oz, 1 cup) cornflour (cornstarch) 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp rosewater 1 tsp cream of tartar Few drops of food colouring For the dusting 160 g (5½ oz, 1 cup) icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar) 30 g (1 oz, ¼ cup) cornflour (cornstarch) Extra icing sugar Instructions Place 375 ml (12½ fl oz, 1½ cups) water in a pan. Add in the lemon juice and sugar. Bring to the boil while stirring. Once the mixture comes to the boil keep stirring until the temperature reaches 115°C (240°F) on a candy thermometer. This is also known as the soft-ball stage. Turn the heat off from the sugar mixture. In a separate pan add 500 ml (17 fl oz, 2 cups) of water. Add in the cream of tartar and the cornflour. Whisk to remove lumps. Continue whisking while you bring the cornflour water to the boil. Once it becomes a gluey paste remove from the heat. Add a small amount of the the sugar syrup to the gluey paste and whisk to incorporate. Continue adding the syrup a bit at a time, whisking between each addition. Bring the mixture to the boil. Turn the heat down and allow to simmer very gently for about an hour. Stir frequently. By now the mixture should be an amber colour. Add in the rosewater and a few drops of food colouring. Mix well. Take a 20cmx20cm (8″x8″) baking tin, oil lightly, line with baking paper and lightly oil the baking paper. Pour in the Turkish Delight, cover and leave for several hours to cool completely. Dust the Turkish Delight with icing sugar and turn it out onto a surface dusted liberally with icing sugar. Remove the baking paper. Cut the slab of Turkish Delight into squares using a pizza cutter or a lightly-oiled knife. Sift the icing sugar and cornflour into a large bowl and add the squares of Turkish Delight. Mix well. Storage: Store the Turkish Delight in a sealed box together with all the icing sugar/cornflour mixture. Do not store in the ‘fridge. Titli's Tips There are many flavours/colours you can try with Turkish Delight: Rosewater and pink/red (Get Rosewater from Asian or Middle-Eastern stores). Orange Water and orange (get Orange Water from Middle-Eastern stores). Lemon and yellow (Use a few drops of lemon flavouring). Add pistachios or crushed walnuts to the mixture and colour it green. Add in chopped dates or cinnamon and leave it a natural colour.