Mandazi | East African Donuts
Mandazi’s are soft and sweet fried donuts that are popular all over East Africa. In Kenya, they are also called Mahamri. In Somalia, some people call them Bur, which literally translates to ‘dough’. Whatever you may call them, these fried pieces of heaven make the best snack and are a Ramadan essential. You can eat them as is, or sprinkle some powdered sugar on top if you’re feeling a little fancy!
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup of warm milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp oil
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the warm milk and water
- Add in the yeast and let it rest for 5 minutes
- Add in the sugar, egg, cardamom, cinnamon, and baking powder
- Mix the ingredients together really well
- Slowly start to incorporate the flour into the wet mixture
- Knead the dough until smooth
- Use the oil to help with kneading, if you are mixing by hand, the oil will help your hands from getting sticky with dough. If you are using a stand mixer, the oil will help the machine pick up any dough that is on the side of the bowl.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl and allow it to rise
- Divide the dough in half and roll out each half into about 1/2 inch thick circle
- You can shape the Mandazi into triangles or into circles with a cookie cutter
- Allow the Mandazi pieces to rise for about 20 minutes
- Fry the Mandazi in oil that is set to medium-high heat until they are golden brown in color. Do not use high heat, this will cook the outside of the mandazi too fast and will not allow the inside to be fully cooked
- Serve as is or sprinkle with powdered sugar
