When your kitchen turns into a little Christmas bakery during the festive season, this recipe comes to you with warm greetings from the children of the Mbigili Children’s Village, which we have been supporting with Charity at [ ] for many years. Mandazi – small, fried yeast dough balls – are especially popular there; you can find them in Tanzania for breakfast, in restaurants, at roadside stalls or freshly made from the containers carried on women’s heads.
At the children’s village, the kids, house mothers and staff gather on a Sunday afternoon in the big kitchen, knead the dough, stoke the coals to heat the frying oil, cut the diamond-shaped Mandazi and count them together so that in the evening every child and every mama has one in their hand. When the big pot is finally full and the whole kitchen smells of freshly fried Mandazi, everyone sits down to watch a film and snack on their Mandazi – a moment of pure joy that you can bring into your own Christmas bakery with this recipe:
Mandazi from the Mbigili Children’s Village
Makes about 35–40 pieces
Ingredients
- 2 kg flour
- 3 tbsp dry yeast
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- Sugar and salt to taste
- 6 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp cardamom (optional)
- Approx. 2 cups milk or water (lukewarm)
- Oil for deep-frying
Preparation
Remove, drain on kitchen paper, allow to cool slightly – and enjoy while still warm.
Mix flour, baking powder, dry yeast, sugar, salt and cardamom in a large bowl.
Gently warm the milk or water (not too hot, otherwise the yeast won’t rise) and gradually add it to the flour mixture. Add the oil and knead everything into a smooth dough that no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Add a little more liquid if needed.
Knead the dough vigorously for at least 10 minutes, then cover and leave it to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
Roll out the dough to about 2 cm thickness and cut into diamonds (approx. 5 × 5 cm) – or cut out circles using a glass. Place the pieces on a baking tray and let them rest again for a short while.
Heat the oil in a pot. Test with one Mandazi: if it rises to the surface and gently sizzles, the temperature is right. Then fry several pieces at the same time until golden brown, turning occasionally.
Bring a little Tanzanian Christmas magic into your kitchen this holiday season!
MORE ABOUT CHARITY AT [ ] HERE
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