Mandazi is a Kenyan staple made from a simple, lightly deep-fried dough with a slightly sweet, sometimes spicy flavor. It can be eaten as a breakfast or dessert dish, snack, or dinner bread with savory dishes. The dough is made from flour, eggs, milk, sugar, and yeast, and can be flavored with spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger. The finished bread may be coated in sugar or fruit preserves and served with roasted nuts or dipping sauce.
In East Africa, mandazi is a Kenyan staple made from a simple, lightly deep-fried dough. It has a slightly sweet, sometimes spicy flavor which has made it popular as a breakfast or dessert dish and as a snack throughout the day. Mandazi are often made into small triangular or circular pieces that can be eaten in one or two bites. The dough may have ingredients such as ground peanuts or toasted coconut mixed with it, and the finished bread may be coated in sugar or fruit preserves. When made with yeast, the dough can take on a richer flavor which allows it to accompany some savory dishes.
The basic dough for mandazi is made from flour, eggs, milk, sugar and yeast. Baking powder can be used in place of baking powder to rise dough, although this means allowing it to rise once or twice before baking. The ingredients are all combined and blended at room temperature until well incorporated. Butter is sometimes added to help puff the bread as it bakes.
It is very common in East Africa to find spices added to the dough to give it a more distinctive flavour. Ground cardamom is often used, although spices, cinnamon and ginger can also be found in various combinations. The liquids used – milk and eggs – can be replaced with coconut milk or yogurt.
The dough for the mandazi can rest for a while or rise if yeast is used. Small pieces are taken out and formed into spheres. If the desired shape is not a small sphere, it is rolled out into a circle. Depending on the size, the flat circles can be fried or further cut into quarters to make small triangles.
The oil — usually one with a neutral flavor, although coconut oil is sometimes used to impart a different taste — is heated in a pan. Some mandazi are placed in oil and left to fry until the outside starts to turn golden brown and the shape puffs up. The oil is drained from the delicacies before they are served.
To make mandazi sweeter, they can be sprinkled with sugar or covered with roasted and chopped nuts. Fruit jams or sauces can be served alongside the dough as a dipping sauce. Mandazi that is not overly sweet can be used as dinner bread with savory dishes.
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