Turkish Delight
A soft, chewy cornstarch-thickened sugar gel, slow-cooked and stirred constantly, scented with rose water, studded with chopped pistachios, and dusted in icing sugar.
About this dish
Lokum was refined in Ottoman confectioners' workshops in the late 18th century, when a sweet-maker named Bekir Effendi is credited with replacing older honey-and-grape-syrup candies with a smoother cornstarch-set gel — a technique precise enough to trap flavours like rose and bergamot in something that holds its shape yet yields the moment you bite it. European visitors to Istanbul carried both the sweet and its nickname — "Turkish Delight" — home with them in the 19th century, and the name stuck in English long after the original Turkish one.
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Lactose-free
Ingredients
- 120gCornstarch
- 400gCaster sugar
- 500mlWater
- 15mlLemon juice
- 1tbspRose water
- 60gPistachios
- 60gIcing sugar
Instructions
Dissolve the sugar in the water over low heat, add the lemon juice, and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes.
15 minTip: The lemon juice isn't just for brightness — its acidity stops the sugar from crystallising into a grainy syrup later.
In a separate pan, whisk the cornstarch into a little cold water until completely smooth, with no lumps.
10 minTip: Any lump that survives this stage survives into the finished candy — press it through your fingers now, not later with a spoon in a thickening pot.
Whisk the hot sugar syrup into the cornstarch mixture, then cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 25 minutes until thick, glossy and translucent.
25 minTip: Constant stirring is non-negotiable here — cornstarch scorches and sticks the instant it sits still against a hot pan, and a single burnt patch ruins the whole batch.
Stir in the rose water and chopped pistachios, then pour into a parchment-lined tin and smooth the top.
5 minTip: Add the rose water off the heat or near the end — boiling it hard drives the floral top notes off as steam before they ever reach your mouth.
Let it set at room temperature for at least 4 hours, then turn out, cut into cubes, and toss in a mix of icing sugar and cornstarch.
240 minTip: The icing sugar and cornstarch dusting isn't just decoration — it's what stops the pieces fusing back into one solid block in storage.