COCONUT & CARDAMOM MAHAMRI
Mahamri are a sweet yeast fried dough made with coconut and a hint of cardamom. They can be eaten as a snack or for breakfast. Good on their own or served with tea, coffee or mbaazi ya nazi (pigeon peas cooked in coconut).
This recipe makes 8 - 10 mahamri in 3 - 6 hrs including 30 minutes of prep, 21/2 - 5 hrs of rising and proofing the dough and around 20 minutes of cooking.
Tools & Ingredients
Ingredients
For the dough
2 cups of All Purpose / Bread Flour
5 - 6 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 a teaspoon of fine salt
1 to 2 teaspoon of instant yeast -> Around half to a full sachet
Due to the amount of sugar, this dough takes a while to rise. If you have time, use a teaspoon and let it rise overnight on the counter. If in a hurry use 2 teaspoons then let it rise for 1 to 2 hours. You can use active dry yeast too if that is what you have on hand, just warm the full amount of coconut milk/milk or water, then add the yeast in it and let it bloom for 5 - 10 mins till foamy. You may need to add a bit more flour to compensate the extra liquid or cut back on a bit of the thick coconut milk.
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cardamom seeds or ground cardamom
Fresh cardamom is more potent so use less of it as compared to ground cardamom, unless you like an intense cardamom flavour. You can choose to grind the cardamom seeds or leave them as they are once removed from their pods.
1/2 cup of full-fat coconut cream
You can use yoghurt, milk or sour cream instead then add 2 tablespoons of coconut milk powder to the dry ingredients. If using yoghurt or milk you can also add 1 - 2 tablespoons of coconut oil/butter/ghee or any other oil you like. Since full-fat coconut cream has plenty of fat, no need to add extra fat or oil. --- You can also use canned coconut milk, just open it upside down, drain the thin coconut milk/water (save it for later) and use the thick milk here.
2 - 4 tablespoons of thin coconut milk/milk/water
For Deep Frying
1 - 2 litres of high heat cooking oil or enough to fill your pan/pot halfway (around 2 inches from the bottom).
Vegetable or peanut oil works well. If you are daring you can also use a mixture of coconut oil and ghee.
Tools
Deep heavy bottom pan/pot.
It should be around 3 - 4 inches (7.5 - 10cm); 2 inches of oil should reach no more than halfway.
Skimmer or slotted spoon
Deep Fry thermometer (optional) -> This is optional but very helpful
Wire rack or paper towels
Procedure
In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, yeast and cardamom then mix till all the ingredients are well dispersed.
Add the sugar to the coconut cream and mix until the sugar is partially dissolved. Add the coconut cream and sugar mixture to the dry ingredients then mix until you get a shaggy dough. Dump on your counter and knead adding the thin coconut milk/milk or water until you get a smooth dough. The dough should still be slightly pliable but firm. It should not be sticky. If it is sticky add a little flour and knead some more. Because of the amount of sugar, it takes longer to develop gluten on this dough so ensure you knead the dough well, I mean around 15 minutes by hand, 8 - 10 by machine. A well-kneaded dough won’t absorb a lot of oil while frying. To check if the dough is well kneaded, gently poke it with your finger, it should spring back and you should easily form a very smooth ball.
If you make yeasted doughs often, the dough might feel firmer than you are used to. Don’t worry the final product won’t be tough at all. If using active dry yeast, warm the whole amount of coconut milk/milk or water then add the yeast to bloom until foamy. Once bloomed, add the mixture to the dry ingredients first then add around 3/4 of the coconut cream adding more as needed. If using oil or fat, add it after the dough has formed then knead till smooth. You can also use a stand mixer, start on low until all the ingredients are incorporated then knead for around 8 - 10 minutes on medium speed till the dough is smooth and cleans the side of the bowl.
Once the dough is smooth, form it into a ball, oil it then place it in a mixing bowl to rise. Tightly cover the bowl with either cling film or a tight fitting lid, keeping the dough air tight so it does not dry out. Let the dough rise at room temp for 2 - 4 hrs until risen. It will not completely double in size, but it should have risen quite a bit.
Once rise, gently deflate the dough then portion it into 2 - 3 pieces if you want triangle mahamri or 6 - 8 pieces if you want the circle mahamri then form the dough pieces into balls.
Roll out each piece of dough into a circle of around 1/4 inch thick (around 2/3 a centimetre) to 1/2 inch thick (around 1 1/4 a centimetre); depending on how “meaty” you like your mahamri. If making triangle mahamri, cut the dough into quarters. Do not roll the dough too thin or it either won't puff up well or will dry out and turn out hard.
Place on a floured surface then let the mahamri proof, covered for another 1/2 an hour to 1 hour. The mahamri should look soft and the cut edges will look sort of rounded.
Fill your heavy bottom pan around halfway with a high heat cooking oil, then place on medium heat. If using a thermometer place it in the oil too.
Let the oil heat to around 175ºC (350ºF). To test if it is ready, dip a clean dry wooden utensil into the oil. If bubbles immediately form around the utensil your oil is ready.
Gently place the mahamri into the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd them so the temperature of your oil remains steady.
The mahamri should puff almost immediately. If not, spoon some hot oil over the ones that don't puff until they do. Once they puff flip them so they do not crack. Cook the for around a minute or two occasionally flipping them until they are nicely browned on both sides.
Using a skimmer remove the mahamri and drain on a wire rack or paper towels.
Let them cool for a few minutes then serve.
Notes
-Ensure you knead the dough well to form enough gluten, the gluten will act as a barrier so that the mahamri do not absorb a lot of oil while frying.
-If you want to reduce the time, you can warm the coconut milk slightly before adding to the dough.
-Do not overcrowd the pan as you cook, this will lower the temperature of the oil taking much more time to cook the mahamri, this will result in tough soggy mahamri.
-Mahamri are best eaten the same day they are made, but if you want to store them, let them cool completely then store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. You can also choose to freeze them for months then refry them for around a minute when you need a "fresh" hamri without the fuss.