← Nouns Cooking · West & East African

Ingredients

• 250 g plain flour
• 1½ tsp instant dried yeast
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tsp ground cardamom, divided
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 300 ml lukewarm water (or half water, half coconut milk)
• 200 g Sugar
• 125 ml Water
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• vegetable oil, for deep frying

Method

1. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, half the cardamom and the salt in a bowl. Add the oil and lukewarm water and beat with a spoon for 3–4 min to a smooth, thick, sticky batter, a bit thicker than pancake batter.
2. Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled and full of bubbles.
3. For the syrup, simmer the sugar, water, lemon juice and remaining cardamom for 6–8 min until slightly sticky. Keep warm.
4. Heat 5 cm of oil to 170°C (340°F). With a wet teaspoon (or your wet fingers), drop small blobs of batter into the oil. Fry in batches for 4–5 min, turning often, until deep golden and crisp all over.
5. Drain briefly on kitchen paper, then toss the hot kaimati in the warm syrup until glazed. Lift out and let the syrup set for a few minutes before eating.

Tips

• Fry over moderate heat: too hot and they brown before the centres cook through.
• A spoonful of grated coconut or a pinch of saffron in the batter is a lovely variation.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Mayuri's Jikoni Chalice The Standard (Eve Woman)