Tongue and Tummy Tales: MAHAMRI DELIGHT; coconut beignet from East Africa.

Mahamri is a form of beignet from the East African coastal region. It is originally, usually accompanied with Mbaazi (pigeon peas) in coconut milk for a meal, either lunch or dinner. None the less it has not stopped people from having it as an accompaniment with tea for breakfast, or as a dessert treat.

For, this post, i decided to present it as a treat , which could be eaten as a dessert.

INGREDIENTS.

2 Cups flour
Half a cup of coconut milk.
1 Egg.
5 table spoons of Sugar.
1 Table spoon Crushed Cardamon
Half a Tea spoon of yeast.
1 litre cooking oil.

METHOD.

Sieve the flour.
In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and yeast while mixing with a wooden spoon.
Crush cardamom in a pestle and add it into the flour.

flour, sugar, yeast and cardamoms.

crushing my own cardamoms.

4. For those using a bread making machine, add the coconut milk and egg first then pour the flour mixture. Press the settings for DOUGH.

5. For those kneading by hand, pour in the egg, and mix with a wooden spoon, then slowly, pour the coconut milk little by little, as you work your way into a dough.

6. Leave the dough to rest for 3 to 4 hours.

The dough in the bread machine. Reduces resting time from 4 hours to 80minutes.

7. Check the dough’s readiness by cutting into it. It should have risen and when cut, should have porous holes similar to those you see in bread.
8. In a deep fryer or a deep pan, pour the cooking oil and heat it.
9. Cut the dough into 4 parts. Then take one part, are roll it into a circular shape. Role from the centre, outwards.

10. Cut into four, and put into the now hot oil to cook.

11. Once one side popes, keep turning the mahamri in the oil, every 3seconds so as to ensure each side cooks evenly with an almost golden brown colour. Total cooking time for the four should be between 3 to 4 minutes.