Recipe: Eat Helena and Vikki Moursellas’ Loukoumades With Honey and Pistachio Fresh From the Fryer

“Back in the 1990s, the Greek festival in Adelaide would happen once a year, and we would always look forward to ordering loukoumades with plenty of honey and a good dusting of cinnamon on top,” write twin sisters Helena and Vikki Moursellas in their new cookbook Opa. “Something about the way they were prepared always made us want more.”

Crispy and golden on the outside, soft and airy inside, these Greek doughnuts are best prepped just before serving and eaten fresh from the fryer. The Moursellas recommend serving with a freddo cappuccino “preferably in the sun.”

Helena and Vikki Moursellas’s Loukamades with Honey and Pistachio

Serves 6–8
Preparation time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

7g sachet (2¼ tsp) active dried yeast
1 tbsp caster sugar
600g (4 cups) plain all-purpose flour, sifted
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp ouzo (optional)
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
350g (1 cup) honey
100g (²⁄ ³ cup) pistachios, finely chopped, plus extra
to serve
Pinch ground cinnamon, for sprinkling

Method:

Pour 750ml (3 cups) warm water into a jug. Add the yeast and sugar and whisk to
combine. Set aside for 10 minutes, or until frothy.

Place the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, pour in the yeast
mixture, and the ouzo (if using) and whisk until smooth. Cover with a damp tea towel,
then leave to stand for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Half-fill a saucepan with vegetable oil and heat to 180-degrees Celsius on a kitchen thermometer.

Working in batches, drop heaped tablespoons of the batter into the oil and cook for
6–7 minutes, until golden brown, turning the loukoumades over every now and then. Drain on paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

Put the honey, pistachios and 1 tablespoon boiling water in a large bowl and stir to
combine. Toss the loukoumades in the honey mixture and coat well.

Serve immediately, with a sprinkling of cinnamon and the extra chopped pistachios.

This is an edited extract of Opa! by Helena and Vikki Moursellas, photography by Bonnie Coumbe. Published by Smith Street Books (RRP $59.99).

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