East African Mandazi Recipe

Posted by Lynda Hayes on 22 November 2010

Mandazi can best be described as an East African version of the donut. They are deep-fried and slightly sweet and are traditionally served in East Africa for breakfast – I especially enjoy eating them with a nice cuppa tea on the side !

Mandazi are also quite a popular “˜street food’ meaning that you can easily buy them along the roadside in the larger cities and even in the smaller towns. You will find them on the menu of most local guest houses for breakfast, and they are also cheap to buy so ideal for the traveller on a budget !

What makes them different from the traditional donut is that they usually don’t have a hole in the middle, and they are cut into a diamond shape instead of a traditional round donut shape. The addition of spices like Cardamom to the dough also makes them different. Some Mandazi (typically made in the coastal areas) also have coconut milk added to the dough.

My favourite Mandazi is the plain variety -:

Tanzanian Mandazi

2 cups Flour
5 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Cardamom powder
1 sachet of Yeast
1 cup lukewarm Milk
Oil for frying

Sift the flour, sugar & Cardamom powder into a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over these ingredients and then add the lukewarm milk. Stir to blend and knead into a soft and pliable dough. Leave covered in a warm place until doubled in size. Punch down and roll out flat. Cut into diamond shapes & leave these covered in a warm place until doubled in size again. Deep fry in very hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Remove, drain and serve immediately.

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