History of mahamri
This pastry has its origins along the East African Coast and is part of Swahili cuisine. It is believed that Swahili has been spoken along the East African Coast for a thousand years. Swahili culture is a mix of African and Arabic cultures, but also has influences from the Turkish Ottoman, Portuguese, and Indians.
Are mahamri and maandazi the same thing?
Many say it’s just the Kenyan and Tanzanian name for the same thing. And that might have been true for the Tanzanians. But in Kenya, they mean different pastries because:
- Mahamris are made with yeast as a raising agent while maandazis are made with baking powder.
- Mahamris need to rest for an hour or more for the yeast do its thing. It is not a must for maandazi to rest since baking powder acts immediately.
- When you tear open a mahamri it is largely hollow/airy inside and crispy on the outside. Maandazi on the other hand is compact fried dough – it has “meat”.
- Mahamris are cardamom-flavoured, while maandazi can be plain, vanilla, lemon- flavored etc.
- Mahamri is a deep-fried sweet yeasted bread. Mandazi (a.k.a half cake) are deep-fried “cousins” of pancakes .
Mahamris are a sweet bread?
When one compares the ingredients in mahamris, white bread, pizza dough, naan, cinnamon rolls they are at their most basic: salt, yeast, liquid, flour, and oil.
What we all agree on about mahamris:
- The ingredients are flour, sugar, yeast, cardamom and the liquid is coconut milk.
- Because of the yeast, it needs time to rise.
- They are usually triangular in shape.
- To know the oil is hot enough, when you put a piece of dough, it bubbles at the bottom for a moment before it rises to the top.
- Technique: after the dough rises, gently pushing the mahamris back into the oil or pouring oil over them helps them puff up.
- But don’t let it puff up too much or it will crack/burst. The dough will then soak oil and become very greasy.
- They are fried.
What many don’t agree on about mahamris:
- Start with the liquid and add the flour cup by cup (wet to dry ingredients). Or make a well in the centre and pour in the liquid (dry to wet ingredients).
- Adding eggs.
- The kneading technique.
- If it’s baked is it still a mahamri?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Coconut Cardamom Mahamris
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm coconut milk (or mix coconut milk powder with water)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon dry yeast
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- 4 cups (500 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamon (iliki)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups of oil for frying
Directions
Heat 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk for 30 seconds in the microwave. Pour the warm milk into a bowl and dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 Tablespoon yeast. Give the yeast 5 minutes it to activate.In a large separate bowl measure 4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon of cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup sugar. Mix with a fork, whisk or fingers.
When the yeast has activated, add the 3 Tablespoons of oil to the liquid ingredients.
Make a well in the centre add the dry ingredients to the wet. It results in a sticky dough. Do not add flour.
Instead, transfer the sticky dough onto the counter. Start kneading. It will stick on your hands and the counter and you will want to add flour. Just keep kneading. Knead for 10 minutes. If necessary add flour a tablespoon at a time. Eventually the dough comes together into a smooth elastic dough. By this time the dough isn’t sticking to the counter.
If you have a stand mixer, attach the dough hook. Start by mixing the dry ingredients. And then add the wet until a smooth dough is formed and the mixing bowl is clean.
Cover the bowl and leave it to rise for 1-2 hours or until double in size. Alternatively, you could let it rise overnight in the fridge and have fresh mahamris for breakfast.
Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 7 balls of about equal weight. Roll them round and almost thin (1/4 inch), and cut it in 4. This will give you a total of 28 mahamris. Cover and leave them to rest for about 15 minutes.
Heat 2 cups of oil in a wok/karai until really hot.
Slide the triangles of dough gently from the side into the hot oil – depending on your work/karai, but 4 at a time is good. As they float to the top carefully move them around in the oil and keep turning them over until both sides are a beautiful golden brown.
They cook in about 45 seconds to a minute.
You have taken me back my dear. In the best sort of way. As kids we would sing ‘mahamri na nyama na chai,’ sema tena- mahamri na nyama na chai,’ and it was an endless song in appreciation of the dish.
thank you!!! ??
Will try a gf version with these measurements.