Separate eggs and beat egg whites until stiff.

Add egg yolks to the stiff whites and beat well.

Incorporate salt, vanilla extract, and baking powder into the egg mixture.

Gradually add flour until a soft dough forms.

Cover the dough and let it rest for 1 hour.

Divide the dough into two equal balls.

Roll out each dough ball as thinly as possible.

Cut the rolled dough into strips that are approximately 1-inch wide.

Heat vegetable oil and shortening in a deep pan.

Once the oil and shortening mixture is melted and warm, take a strip of dough and roll it around a fork to create a curl.

Carefully place the curled dough into the heated oil mixture.

Continue curling and adding the dough strips to the oil until the pan is appropriately filled without overcrowding.

Fry the dough curls until they turn a light golden brown color.

Remove the fried dough curls and place them on paper towels to drain excess oil.

Sprinkle the fried dough curls with powdered sugar or prepare a sugar syrup.

To make the sugar syrup: Combine sugar, water, and lemon juice in a heavy-bottomed pan.

Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to boil for 30 minutes, allowing it to thicken into a syrup.

Let the syrup cool.

Pour the cooled sugar syrup over the fried dough curls.