Mandazi

Ingredients

• 500g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 80g caster sugar
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 7g fast-action dried yeast
• 250ml coconut milk, warmed to body temperature
• 1 egg, beaten
• 40g unsalted butter, melted
• 1 litre sunflower oil, for deep frying
• 2 tbsp icing sugar, to finish (optional)

Before you cook

• Whisk the flour, sugar, cardamom, salt and yeast together in a large bowl.
• Warm the coconut milk gently until it feels neutral on the inside of your wrist.
• Beat the egg and melt the butter, then let the butter cool slightly.

Steps

1. Pour the warm coconut milk, beaten egg and melted butter into the dry ingredients.
2. Mix with your hand until it comes together into a shaggy dough.
3. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
4. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover it, and leave it in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled.
5. Knock the dough back and divide it into four equal pieces.
6. Roll one piece into a circle about 1cm thick.
7. Cut the circle into six wedges like a pizza and set them on a floured tray.
8. Repeat with the remaining three pieces of dough.
9. Cover the tray loosely and rest the shaped mandazi for 20 minutes.
10. Heat the oil in a deep pan to 170C, or until a scrap of dough rises and sizzles within 3 seconds.
11. Slide in four or five mandazi at a time, keeping the pan uncrowded.
12. Fry for about 90 seconds until the undersides are deep gold and puffed, then flip them.
13. Fry the second side for another 90 seconds, then lift them onto a rack.
14. Check the first one by tearing it open, and make sure the centre is dry and airy rather than doughy.
15. Dust the warm mandazi with icing sugar if you like and eat them the same day.