Diples

I saved the best recipes for last in our Maniati Food Week! When you’re in Mani, you’ll see these beautiful, delicious diples everywhere. But what are diples? They’re thin, crispy, rolled pastries that are fried until golden, dipped in warm citrus syrup, then drizzled with honey and topped with toasted walnuts and cinnamon. Yes, we Greeks love our honey, walnuts, and cinnamon—but Maniates especially love their cinnamon!

When in Mani, enjoy diples during special occasions! 

• Maniates love highlighting their favorite ingredients in this dessert: orange and cinnamon.

• They are a staple dessert for celebrations, especially weddings, Christmas, and Easter!

Are diples easy to make?
For a first-time cook, I would say no. The frying technique—rolling and flipping the dough in hot oil—takes a bit of practice. Don’t worry, though! I’ve included detailed notes and tips to help you get it right. This recipe was passed down from my family in Mani, and now I get to pass it down to You!

How long do diples take to make?
Plan for at least 2 to 2½ hours from start to finish.

What is the dough like?
The dough resembles fresh pasta dough in both texture and color.

Special Equipment

• Pasta machine or KitchenAid pasta roller attachment
• Ravioli cutter or fluted pastry wheel (for the signature crimped edges)
• Pasta tweezers or stainless-steel tweezer tongs
• Stainless-steel strainer
• Mixer with hook attachment

Notes:

• Make sure you have a large workspace for rolling out the dough.
• If you don’t have a pasta attachment, no worries—I added steps for the “no pasta machine” method.
• You can prepare the dough ahead of time; make the syrup fresh on the day you fry your diples.
• The syrup should be hot when dipping cooled diples for the best absorption.
• Adding orange peel and extra cinnamon creates a beautifully aromatic syrup.
• I use vanilla powder but you can definitely use vanilla flavoring if you prefer.
• Adding ouzo to the syrup is really good too! Adds a lovely anise flavor to the dough.
• Keep plenty of flour handy for dusting your surface and the pasta machine.
• Use a large enough pot for frying. (We used a small pot in the photos, so we could only fry one diple at a time.)
• This recipe makes 25–30 diples, depending on the size.
• Roll the dough very thin—almost transparent. You should nearly see your fingers through it.
• In Mani, generally they make the sheets around 8 to 9 inches in length, but we recommend trying the 6 inch first.
• Diples keep well for up to 1 week when covered with foil. They keep find on the counter covered.
• You will master diples when you make your first 10 lol!

Diples 

Servings: 25-30 diples

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups of all purpose flour + 1 cup and more for dusting the surface and pasta attachment
• 5 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil (I used The Governor extra virgin olive oil)
• 3 tablespoons of room temperature water
• 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt
• 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla powder (see notes)
• 1/2 orange, reserve the zest
• 2 cups of vegetable oil for frying

Method: 

1. Prepare the dough in a mixer. I used my KitchenAid with the hook attachment. Add all the ingredients to the mixer bowl: flour, eggs, olive oil, water, salt, sugar, vanilla powder, and orange zest. Start mixing on low so the flour doesn’t fly everywhere. Once the dough starts to come together, increase the speed. Be sure not to overmix—after the dough forms, mix for only about 2 minutes. If the dough feels dry, gently add a teaspoon or two of water.
2. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it on a lightly floured surface. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for about 40 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Before you start frying, make sure your syrup is ready. You want it hot when the rolls go in.
4. Prepare your pasta machine or KitchenAid pasta attachment. (I used the KitchenAid pasta roller.) Once the dough has rested, remove it from the refrigerator. Cut it into about 6 pieces. Lightly dust your work surface with flour, then take one piece of dough and roll it into a 6-inch rectangular circle. Begin rolling it through the pasta machine on setting 1, passing it through two times. Dust with flour again and continue rolling on setting 4 and then setting 6. The dough should be thin—thin enough that you can almost see your hands through it. My dough measured about 1/16 inch thick.No pasta machine method: On a large surface, roll out the dough using a rolling pin, as thin as possible—thin enough that you can see your fingers through the other side when you lift the dough.
5. Once the pasta machine gives you a sheet about 16 inches long, place it on your work surface. Using a ravioli cutter, trim the outer edges to create clean, straight lines on each side of the sheet (see photos below)
6. Cut the sheet into strips measuring 6 inches long and 4 inches wide . Repeat this process until you have about 25 sheets. Keep them covered with a cloth so they don’t dry out.
7. Heat a large pot of oil over medium heat. I like to test the temperature before frying. Bring the oil to 350°F (190°C). Place a small strip of dough into the oil—if it lightly puffs up right away, the oil is ready. Remove the test strip and set it aside (or eat it!).
8. Here is the frying technique we prefer: Gently take one strip and, using tweezers, fold the top edge over and let the rest of the strip hang down. Dip the hanging part into the oil, then flip it over and begin rolling the strip with the tweezers (see photo below). While doing this, use a fork in your other hand to help guide the roll into the oil and prevent it from moving around—you’ll get a tighter, more even roll this way. Fry for about 1 minute per side, or until lightly golden brown.
9. Remove the rolls from the oil and place them on a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Then dip the warm rolls into the hot syrup only for about 10 to 15 seconds.
10. Once all the diples are dipped in syrup, plate them and serve with honey, toasted chopped walnuts, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
11. Diples will stay fresh for up to a week. While they may lose some of their crispiness, they’re still delicious when stored in a sealed container or covered with foil.

Syrup Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup of honey
• 3 cups of water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 orange , peel & juice
• 1/2 lemon, peel & juice
• Serve with toasted chopped walnuts, honey, and cinnamon powder

Method:

1. Add all the ingredients to a medium-sized pot, mix well, and cook over high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Make sure the pot you use is large enough to fit the diples (see notes). Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
   Keep the syrup warm when dipping the diples.

Make these for your Christmas table!! Bring a little bit of Mani to your home this season. 

Keep in mind that every diples recipe is different. Some use whole eggs, like this one, while others separate the eggs. Some recipes include baking powder or baking soda, and some don’t. Whatever recipe you choose, I hope you enjoy making and eating diples!

Catch our other Maniati recipes below:

Maniati Foods (Tsouchti) Pasta with Eggs

Maniatiki Salad with Orange & Smoked Pork

Maniati Food Week : Lakonian Lalagia Recipe

Soutzoukakia Maniatiko Style Recipe