The Best Mahamri Ever

Am sure you all know by now am an advocate of healthy eating. However, a little comfort food does not harm anyone once in a while especially while taken in moderation. I classify mahamri as a comfort food. They are best described as coconut fried bread by the swahili people and best taken during breakfast with coconut pigeon peas better known as mbaazi. They are also enjoyed by many Kenyans with a cup of tea or coffee and mostly confused with mandaazi.

Mahamris are made using yeast while mandaazi use baking powder.

You can check my chinchin recipe here.

Preparation & cooking

In a bowl stir together the coconut milk, 1tbsp sugar and yeast and let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes, or until the yeast is foamy and dissolved.

In another bowl, sift the flour then add in the rest of the sugar,baking powder, cardamom and salt. Whisk together till well combined.

Once the yeast is foamy, add in the melted butter and egg. Whisk till well incorporated.

Mix the dry and wet ingredients together.

On a floured surface, knead the dough for about 5-7 minutes.

Feel free to add a tablespoon or two of flour if the dough is too sticky. You should end up with a soft and a little sticky dough.

Place the dough back in your bowl and cover with a plastic wrap and allow to rise until it doubles in size, for about 1 hour in a warm place.

After the dough has risen, punch it down to remove the air then using a rolling pin, roll to about 1/2 cm thick and cut into your desired shapes.

Flour a baking tray or regular tray thoroughly and place the mahamri pieces for a second rise before frying. Flour them again of the upper side before covering with a plastic wrap to avoiding sticking then kitchen towel on top. Let them rise for about 30 minutes in a warm place.

After 30 minutes of rising.

In a cooking pot/ sufuria, add in enough oil for deep frying the mahamri. Heat till when you insert a wooden spoon, bubbles form around it.

Deep your mahamri to fry one at a time and avoid crowding the pot. Remember to lower the heat as they cook as well as keep turning them to form nice air pockets to stuff in mbaazi if desired.

Allow them to turn golden brown then remove from heat and place on a bowl lined with some paper towel.

Repeat till all your mahamri pieces are cooked.

Serve warm or cold with tea, coffee, chocolate or mbaazi.

THE BEST MAHAMRI RECIPE VIDEO

Here is a quick video showing how I made these easy and delicious mahamris. You can also subscribe to my YouTube Channel for more recipe videos, kitchen tips & hacks!

Gwen Jikoni

The Best Mahamri Ever

Mahamris are fried Kenyan doughnuts mainly flavoured with coconut and cardamom powder. They are also distinct from mandazi since they are made with yeast. They are enjoyed for breakfast with tea or coffee or stuffed with coconut mbaazi (pigeon peas).

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Resting time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings: 10 people

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: African, East African, Kenyan

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup coconut milk warm
• 5 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp dry active yeast
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp cardamom
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 egg, room temperature
• Oil for deep frying

Method

 

1. In a bowl stir together the coconut milk, 1tbsp sugar and yeast and let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes, or until the yeast is foamy and dissolved.
2. In another bowl, sift the flour then add in the rest of the sugar,baking powder, cardamom and salt. Whisk together till well combined.
3. Once the yeast is foamy, add in the melted butter and egg. Whisk till well incorporated.
4. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together. On a floured surface, knead the dough for about 5-7 minutes. Feel free to add a tablespoon or two of flour if the dough is too sticky. You should end up with a soft and a little sticky dough.
5. Place the dough back in your bowl and cover with a plastic wrap and allow to rise until it doubles in size, for about 1 hour in a warm place.
6. After the dough has risen, punch it down to remove the air then using a rolling pin, roll to about ½ cm thick and cut into your desired shapes.
7. Flour a baking tray or regular try thoroughly and place the mahamri pieces for a second rise before frying. Flour them again of the upper side before covering with a plastic wrap to avoiding sticking then place a kitchen towel. Let them rise for about 30 minutes in a warm place.
8. In a cooking pot/ sufuria, add in enough oil for deep frying the mahamri. Heat till when you insert a wooden spoon, bubbles form around it.
9. Deep your mahamri to fry one at a time and avoid crowding the pot. Remember to lower the heat as they cook as well as keep turning them to form nice air pockets to stuff in mbaazi if desired.
10. Allow them to turn golden brown then remove from heat and place on a bowl lined with some paper towel.
11. Repeat till all your mahamri pieces are cooked.
12. Serve warm or cold with tea, coffee, chocolate or mbaazi.

Notes

Mahamris should not be confused with mandazi. Mahamris are made with yeast while mamdazis only use baking powder. Also authentic mahamris are made using coconut milk whereas mandazis are can be made with regular milk or water. They are mostly hollow to allow one to stuff with mbaazi whereas mandazi can be hollow or not depending on ones preference.

One can adjust the sugar to their preference.

You can swap the dry active yeast with instant yeast but remember to just add it directly to the flour as no proofing is required.

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