Halka Tatlisi (Turkish Churros)

Vendors don’t use napkins, and no one asks for them. You just grab one with a piece of paper (not napkin or paper towel) that is specially cut in squares to hold the dessert. You hold these sweet churros with a piece of paper, similar to the one you see above.

Halka tatlisi can also be named as Ottoman doughnuts due to their shape and frying method. And they have been very popular for years during the month of Ramadan because they are cheap and help people who fast all day until dinner time to get their energy back. 

About The Name Of This Dessert

It is a cheap street dessert in Turkey and Although this dessert is so much loved by many people, Turkish sweet churros have a cheeky name. 

Besides the name halka tatlısı, it has another interesting name. Well, we don’t really want you to have a prejudice on this simple but scrumptious dessert. On the other hand, we are trying to give you a good perspective of Turkish food and culture on this blog, so there would be something missing if we didn’t tell you the other name of these sweet churros in Turkish.

Ok, these are also known as brothel dessert, kerhane tatlisi. It’s said that street vendors would sell these super sweet ring desserts in front of brothels, especially in Istanbul during the last period of the 19th century. It is said that this cheap and super sweet dessert gave the man the energy they needed. You can find more on this here.

Today, they are not sold in front of brothels any more, but these ring desserts are still a popular treat on the streets of most cities in Turkey.

About The Ingredients

The ingredients could be put into two categories: The syrup and the dough. For the syrup, we need water, sugar and lemon. It is the same syrup we use when making baklava, lokma dessert or revani.

As for the dough, the ingredients are exactly the same as tulumba dessert dough. These are water, butter, flour, eggs, semolina and cornstarch. And oil for frying.

How To Make This Recipe

• Start with making the syrup. Put sugar, water and a slice of lemon in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes or until it becomes syrupy. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely. 
• Now, you can make the dough. Heat water and butter together in a large saucepan until the butter melts. Slowly add in the flour and stir quickly with a spatula for about 10 minutes or until everything holds together.
• Remove it from the heat and transfer the dough into a bowl. Let it sit until it cools completely. Then add in semolina and cornstarch. Stir well. 
• Add in eggs, one by one. And stir well with a spatula after each egg. You should have a smooth batter. Transfer it into a piping bag. Place a star nozzle on the tip of the bag and put it aside.
• Put oil in a large pan. Squeeze the dough from the piping bag into the cold oil, giving it a circular shape. Cut the dough after each time with scissors. Make sure you dip the tip of the scissors into oil so that the batter won’t stick on it when cutting.
• Put the pan on medium heat and fry the batter rings until golden and crispy. Transfer them immediately into the cold syrup. Let them sit for a few minutes and then transfer on a plate. Repeat these steps for the remaining batter. Make sure the oil cools completely before squeezing the batter in it.

Storing

After removing the ring desserts from the syrup, you can put them in an airtight container and keep at room temperature for about a week. But they are the best on the day they are made. They might lose their crispy texture after 2-3 days.

Expert Tips

• Make sure the dough cools down completely before you add the eggs in it.
• The oil should be cold or at room temperature when you squeeze the batter in it.
• The ring desserts should be fried slowly over medium heat.

More Turkish Desserts

• Lokma Tatlisi
• Kunefe
• Kadayif
• Irmik Helvasi
• Un Helvasi