African Donuts Food

MANDAZI (AFRICAN DONUTS)

Steps:

• Combine milk, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, sugar, egg, instant yeast, salt, and cardamom in a large bowl. Mix in flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough comes together and is easily handled. Knead dough on a flat work surface until no longer sticky.
• Put dough back in the bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm area until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Press dough down gently. Knead it briefly and divide it into 4 portions. Roll each portion into a ball; keep covered with a cloth to prevent them from drying out.
• Roll 1 ball into a 1/3-inch-thick circle on a floured work surface. Cut into 4 triangles using a pizza cutter. Repeat with remaining balls of dough, keeping other dough covered.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan over medium heat. Fry dough triangles 3 or 4 at a time, without overcrowding, until puffed like balloons, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn and continue frying until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes more. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining dough.

AFRICAN DONUTS

Steps:

• Warm the water up to 80 deg. (about 2 minute and a half in the microwave).
• Take about 2 ounces of that water and put in a small cup or plastic bowl.
• Let the rest of the water stand aside.
• Pour the yeast in the 2 oz warm water and mix slowly with 1 teaspoon of sugar.
• Cover and let stand.
• In a large deep bowl that has a cover, mix the flour, sugar and pinch of salt.
• Make a hole in the mix and pour in the risen yeast. Take a whisk (we use our fingers in Africa) and mix until blended. DO NOT USE AN ELECTRIC WHISK.
• Check that the remaining water previously put aside is still warm; if not, re-warm it for about 30 seconds.
• Pour in the water bit by bit, mixing vigourously each time, until you obtain a paste with a consistency just before that of a cake mix. Stop pouring the water and discard the rest, if any.
• Mix again for about 5 minutes. Close the bowl and put in the oven for about 2 and a half hours.
• After that time, you can see that the paste had risen for about 2 or 3 times what it was before, so choose the bowl wisely.
• Pour the vegetale oil ( about 30 oz.) in a deep sauce pan. The sauce pan has to be small and deep enough so that the oil fills it at least to the middle.
• Heat the oil until very hot. Put the heat down to medium, wait 1 minute.
• Mix the paste a bit to bring it down and start putting the paste in the oil using a tablespoon, one at the time, until there is no more space left in the pan. In Africa, again, we use our fingers for this part, dipping it in water now and then so that it won't stick.
• REMEMBER to dip the tablespoon in water now and then so that the paste won't stick to it.
• Turn it over now and then and control the heat; let it cook to a deep golden color. Too much heat will burn the outside while the inside is not cooked. Not enough heat will make the oil fill in the donuts.
• Remove the donuts from the oil and put in a colander covered with tissue paper to absord the oil.
• Serve warm.
• This recipe sounds long and difficult to make, but once you make it the first time, you'll see that there is nothing to it. I make it in 20 minutes for the mixing, 20 minutes for the frying.
• TIP: If you don't want to wait 2 hours for the paste to rise, put in the oven and turn the oven on to warm. It should rise in 30 minutes.