Mahamri is a type of doughnut incorporating special ingredients such as coconut milk and cardamom. This authentic type of snack originated from the Swahili coastal regions of Kenya and Tanzania and is still very popular in both regions. Normally, it is eaten at breakfast, accompanied by Kenyan Chai (milk tea)
Ingredients
• 3 cups of wheat flour
• 8 -10 tablespoons of raw sugar (depending on desired sweetness)
• 1 teaspoon of instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon of cardamom
• 1 teaspoon of butter or margarine
• 1 medium egg – (optional)
• 1 cup of coconut milk for kneading the dough
• Vegetable oil for deep frying
Preparation
• In a mixing bowl add flour, sugar, yeast and Cardamom, butter/margarine, and the egg. Mix the ingredients together with either clean hands or a spatula. Slowly add coconut milk, a little at a time, as you knead the dough.
• Knead the dough, for a minimum of 15-20 minutes until it is soft, smooth and not sticky in either your hands or the mixing bowl 5
• Place the dough in a container and cover it with either a lid or a clean cloth. Let it rest and rise for at least 3-4 hours at room temperature. (You can choose to leave it overnight, the dough should double in size)
• Using a dough cutter or knife, divide the dough into 4-5 equal balls and coat each of the dough with flour, cover them again with a clean cloth for 15 minutes and let them rise.
• Sprinkle some flour on a clean flat surface and using a rolling pin, roll each ball of dough into a circle of about 6 inches. Use more flour to dust the rolling surface to prevent the dough from sticking on the surface and on the rolling pin
• Cut each of the dough circles into 4 pieces.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan or a wok.
• Test your oil by gently dropping a small piece of dough into the oil. If the dough stays at the bottom for a couple of seconds then rises to the surface, your oil is ready for frying. If it rises up immediately, then your oil is too hot and you will need to reduce the heat to avoid burning your Mahamris and having the inside undercooked.
• Fry 4 Mahamris at a time (depending on the size of your pan or wok). Use your metal strainer to splash oil over the top of the Mahamris to help them puff up. As soon as you see the bottom side of the Mahamris has turned light-gold brown, turn them over.
• Keep turning the Mahamris until they have a nice golden-brown color on both sides. Remove them from the hot oil and place them in a serving plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
• Repeat this process until all the dough pieces have been fried
• Allow them to cool for a few minutes and enjoy!!
Source web address Favorite Kenyan food Recipes
