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    Home » Most Popular Turkish Recipes » Sesame Rings

    Published: Aug 22, 2009 · Modified: May 24, 2025 by Zerrin & Yusuf

    Sesame Rings

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    Sesame Rings | giverecipe.com

    When I saw the well written post on mahaleb (mahlep in Turkish) at Oysterfoodandculture, I decided to make something using this special spice and share it here. I’ll not explain what kind of a spice it is, Oyster has already done it so well, so if you want to learn it more, please visit her blog.

    mahlep

    I call these sesame rings as they are coated with sesame, but in Turkey, their original name is ‘kandil simidi’, which may be translated into English as ‘lailat simit’. Lailat is the name of holy nights in Islam. There are mainly 6 special nights in this religion and they are related to muslims’ prophet Muhammed and the holy Qur’an. Muslims pray and plead for mercy at these nights. Women make some pastries and share it with all their neighbors. This is not a must, but it’s like a tradition some people carry on. On these days, pastry shops make especially these rings and pay special attention to the appearance of their stands. Vendors at different corners of city also sell kandil simidi in small paper bags just on these days. I don’t know if any other cultures have such foods that are made on some certain days of year, but in Turkish culture there are several foods that you can find only on some certain days. Lailat simit is one of these foods and it you can find it at pastry shops six times in a year. There are some pastries similar to this mini simits at these shops, but they don’t have the same taste. If you want to eat it more than six times in a year, you must make it at home. And that’s what I do! The word mahaleb always reminds me of kandil simidi, that’s why I decided to make and share it here.

    As you see in the picture, it’s so similar to simit, it’s like the smaller version of it. They’re alike in terms of their shapes, but their tastes are quite different. Simit tastes more like bread, it doesn’t spread easily when you chew, but it’s the main feature of kandil simidi to spread easily in your mouth. And their ingredients are different, too. We can say that they are similar in their shapes and names, but they are different in their tastes indeed. We generally define ring-shaped things as simit because of their shapes.

    If you like crackers and if you love to snack, these are perfect! When I make these, we keep them in a large jar for a week. Instead of packaged crackers or pretzels, we have these sesame rings as a snack along with black tea when we have too many hours for dinner to stop our hunger for a while.

    sesamerings2

    Originally, it is made with sesame, but I also make it with crumbled hazelnuts to have a variety. If you like, you can try it, too.

    Sesame Rings | giverecipe.com

    Perfect for tea time when you make these rings with sesame.

    Sesame Rings | giverecipe.com

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    📖 Recipe

    Sesame Rings | giverecipe.com
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    Sesame Rings

    By Zerrin & Yusuf
    Savory pastry snack with sesame seeds.
    Yields: 40 pieces
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    PREP 30 minutes mins
    COOK 45 minutes mins
    TOTAL 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

    INGREDIENTS
      

    • 250 g butter
    • 6 tablespoon sunflower oil
    • ½ cup water
    • 1 tablespoon vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 egg yolk
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 4 ½ cup flour
    • 1 teaspoon mahaleb
    • 1 egg white
    • Sesame seeds

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Put all ingredients except egg white, sesame and baking powder in a tray and mix them. When you knead it well, add baking powder and keep kneading. You will have a soft dough.
    • Take pieces as big as a walnut and first shape it like a stick, then combine its two ends to give it a simit (ring shape) shape.
    • Preheat the oven to 180C.
    • Put egg white in a small bowl and sesame on a separate plate. Dip mini simits first into egg white and then coat it with sesame.
    • Lay a grease proof paper in an oven tray. Put these sesame rings on it. And bake them in oven until they get golden (for about 45 minutes).

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 118kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 132mgPotassium: 18mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 0.3gVitamin A: 163IUCalcium: 22mgIron: 1mg

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

    ADDITIONAL INFO

    Course Snack
    Cuisine Turkish
    Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below!
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    1. ania says

      January 30, 2011 at 2:03 pm

      Hi!
      I`m really happy that I came across your blog. It`s great! You wonder if in other cultures there are any special kinds of food prepared only for special ocassions. I can say, we have few such a meals in Poland. There are traditionall st.Martin`s bagels;-) (very sweet with white poppy seeds, walnuts and honey: http://pl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plik:Rogale_%C5%9Bwi%C4%99tomarci%C5%84skie_RB1.JPG&filetimestamp=20081111123507) made only once a year, only in one Polish city.
      There are also special meals we prepare for Christmas Eve Supper (traditionally all of them are vegetarian) and some cakes which are baked only for Easter.

      Reply
    2. Cajun Chef Ryan says

      September 01, 2009 at 5:21 am

      Those really do look great, love sesame!

      Reply
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    Meet Zerrin and Yusuf Gunaydin: The couple behind this blog. We bring Turkish food into your kitchen! From kebabs to desserts, everything you crave is here.

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    Zerrin & Yusuf

    Meet Zerrin and Yusuf Gunaydin: The couple behind this blog. We bring Turkish food into your kitchen! From kebabs to desserts, everything you crave is here.

    More about us→

    POPULAR RECIPES

    • Chicken seasoning in a glass jar and a small spoon in it.
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    • Turkish bean stew in a dark colored bowl and a spoon inside it.
      Kuru Fasulye Recipe (Turkish Beans)
    • Roasted tomato soup topped with feta cheese and basil leaves in a white bowl, grilled cheese sandwich dipped into it and more grilled cheese sandwiches behind it.
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