Learn to make delicate, chewy morsels of delicious Turkish delight with our surprisingly quick and easy recipe. Turkish delight, or lokum as it is traditionally known, is a gummy and sticky treat often flavoured with rosewater. We’ve decided to stray a little from this to make lemony-citrusy squares. But it is quite easy to customise your Turkish squares to what delights you!
As gelatin is a rather uncommon ingredient in today’s pantries but a staple to creating Turksih delight, here’s a crash course on what you need to know about it:
- Gelatin is a gelling agent usually made from animal bones (a veggie alternative, agar-agar, is made from seaweed). It is colourless, tasteless and odourless and used to stabilises jellies and sweets.
- Gelatin is soaked in water for a few minutes to soften, then sprinkled over the water to mix in evenly.
- Although most recipes using gelatin require it to be in hot water, make sure it is not boiling water as a heat that is too high will damage it.
Right, to the Turkish delight!
Makes 20 | 20min Hands-on | 4hrs Hands-off
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp gelatin
200g caster sugar
60g cornflour, plus extra to dust
2 tbsp lemon juice
90g icing sugar, plus extra to dust
Pinch of cream of tartar
Food colouring (of your choice – red is standard but as our Turkish delight is citrus flavoured an orange or yellow would be more appropriate)
Flavouring (we used 1 tsp orange-blossom water and 1⁄2 tsp lemon zest)
METHOD
1. Line a 10 × 20cm baking tin with baking paper.
2. Pour 280ml hot water into a microwave-safe bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over it. Whisk with a fork so the grains dissolve, then leave to bloom (swell) for a few minutes until thick and spongy.
3. Add caster sugar. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stir well. Microwave for 5 more minutes until thick and syrupy.
4. Mix together cornflour and lemon juice. Whisk into the hot sugar mixture, along with the icing sugar and cream of tartar. Microwave on high for another 3–5 minutes.
5. Add colouring and flavouring of your choice.
6. Pour into prepared baking tin and leave to set, about 4 hours.
7. Cut into squares and dust with a little cornflour and icing sugar. Store in a single layer in an airtight container in a cool place (don’t keep in the fridge).
