Zubereitung

1. 1

   For the syrup, bring the sugar and water to the boil in a pan, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon juice and simmer the syrup over a medium heat without stirring so that it doesn't crystallise.

2. 2

   Take the syrup off the heat and leave it to cool completely; hot syrup causes severe burns, so put the pan out of children's reach. The rule for Zingil is cold syrup on hot pastries — that is the only way the rings stay crisp.

3. 3

   Meanwhile, mix the flour, semolina, dried yeast, 1 tsp sugar and the salt in a large bowl. Stir the yogurt into the lukewarm water until smooth, pour it in and beat everything vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes until you have a smooth, thick batter that runs slowly off the spoon.

4. 4

   Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size and is full of bubbles.

5. 5

   Fill a tall, heavy pot with a capacity of at least 5 l no more than a third full with the oil and heat it over a medium heat to 170 °C, measured with a kitchen thermometer. Keep a fitting lid to hand, keep children away from the stove and never add water to the hot oil; if the oil catches fire, put the lid on, switch off the heat and never try to put it out with water.

6. 6

   Briefly stir the dough and fill it into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle of about 8 mm. Have ready a plate lined with kitchen paper, a wire rack set over a baking tray and the cold syrup in a wide bowl.

7. 7

   Holding the piping bag just above the surface of the oil, pipe the dough into the oil in spirals or double rings of about 8 cm, only 4 to 5 at a time. Fry the rings, turning them once, until golden brown and crisp all over.

8. 8

   Lift the rings out with a slotted spoon, drain them briefly on the kitchen paper and, while they are still hot, place them in the cold syrup and turn them once.

9. 9

   Lift the Zingil out of the syrup and leave them to drain on the rack. Let the oil come back up to 170 °C before each batch and fry the rest of the dough in the same way; break open one ring — it must be airy and cooked through inside.

10. 10

    Switch off the heat and let the oil cool completely in the pot before moving the pot or decanting the oil.

11. 11

    Tip: Zingil taste best on the day they are made, while they are still crisp; in an open bowl at room temperature they keep until the next day but become softer. Çay — Kurdish Tea in a Glass goes well with them. If you don't have a piping bag, fill the dough into a sturdy freezer bag and snip off one corner. Pour the cooled oil through a fine sieve, store it sealed in a dark place and use it for deep-frying once or twice more.