Mandazi

Name: Mandazi
Prep time: 90 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 145 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Rwanda
Ingredients: 400 g all-purpose wheat flour, plus up to 20 g dusting flour; 60 g sugar; 120 ml culinary coconut milk; 110 ml warm water; 1 medium egg, about 50 g without shell; 5 g instant dry baker’s yeast; 15 ml neutral vegetable oil for dough; 3 g salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 800 ml to 1 litre frying oil, according to pan; 5 g optional icing sugar to serve

🍩 Sixteen small triangular fried dough pieces, with a tender crumb, coconut milk, egg, cardamom and cinnamon; four pieces per tasting portion.

Ingredients

400 g all-purpose wheat flour, plus up to 20 g dusting flour
60 g sugar
120 ml culinary coconut milk
110 ml warm water
1 medium egg, about 50 g without shell
5 g instant dry baker’s yeast
15 ml neutral vegetable oil for dough
3 g salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
800 ml to 1 litre frying oil, according to pan
5 g optional icing sugar to serve

Preparation

Mix flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt, cardamom and cinnamon. If your yeast requires rehydration, follow its packet using water from the measured 110 ml.

Beat egg with coconut milk and 15 ml oil. Add to flour, then gradually add warm water; reserve some if the flour absorbs less. Form a supple dough.

Knead eight to ten minutes until smooth, not runny. Cover and let rise one to one and a half hours depending on room temperature, until noticeably expanded.

Gently release excess gas and roll on a lightly floured surface to about 8 mm. Cut sixteen similar triangles; gather scraps once without excessive extra flour.

Cover triangles on a lightly floured tray and rest ten minutes while heating oil. Use a stable pan and keep it at most half full even with dough added.

Heat oil to about 170–175 °C. Lower a test triangle gently near the surface with a slotted spoon. Fry about four to five minutes total, turning, until golden.

Cool briefly and open the first piece: crumb must be cooked with no sticky centre. Adjust heat or thickness, then fry the rest in small batches without crowding.

Drain on a rack or absorbent paper, cool to warm and optionally dust all pieces with 5 g icing sugar. Serve sixteen small pieces, four per portion; best the same day.