Nafaqo

🥚 Five Somali potato croquettes with a whole hard-boiled egg centre, xawaash, no meat or breadcrumbs.

Ingredients

• 700 g floury potatoes with skin
• 5 medium eggs
• 35 g wheat flour for mash
• Up to 25 g wheat flour for shaping and coating
• 1 tsp unsalted xawaash
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• Up to 2 g salt and little pepper
• About 800 ml frying oil, estimated batch absorption 35 g
• Drinking water for boiling

Preparation

Wash and simmer unpeeled potatoes 25–30 minutes until tender. Separately simmer eggs ten minutes, cool promptly in cold water, peel and dry.

Drain potatoes, let steam escape, carefully peel and mash gently by hand, never blender. Spread clean dish to cool about twenty minutes.

Fold in 35 g flour spices salt pepper. Divide five portions; lightly flour hands using reserved 25 g and enclose one dry whole hard-boiled egg per portion without cracks.

Lightly coat with remaining flour, remove excess. Heat oil 165–170 °C in stable vessel at most half full. Prepare rack.

Fry two or three small batches seven to ten minutes each, turning gently until golden and cooked. Open first: no raw flour and hot centre, about 74 °C if made ahead.

Drain rack and serve warm, one per portion. Eggs already hard before frying; sauces and salad separate.