← Nouns Cooking · West & East African

Ingredients

• 375 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 Eggs
• 60 ml Vegetable oil
• 120 ml water (roughly)
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 Onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Scotch bonnet chilli, minced
• 3 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 300 g firm white fish fillet, cut into small pieces
• 1 can tin of tuna (145 g), drained
• 1 handful Parsley, finely chopped
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• ½ tsp Salt
• vegetable oil, for deep frying

Method

1. Mix the flour, salt and sugar. Add the egg and oil and rub together, then add water little by little to make a soft, smooth dough. Knead for 3 min, cover and rest for 30 min.
2. For the filling, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and fry the onion for 4 min. Add the garlic and scotch bonnet for 1 minute, then the tomato paste with 4 tbsp water.
3. Add the fish, tuna, parsley, pepper and salt and cook for 8–10 min, breaking the fish up, until cooked through and quite dry. Cool completely.
4. Roll the dough out thinly, about 2 mm, and cut 10 cm rounds. Put a spoonful of filling on each, fold into half-moons and press the edges firmly with a fork.
5. Heat 5 cm of oil to 175°C (350°F) and fry the fataya in batches for 2–3 min per side until golden and crisp. Drain and serve warm with a spicy tomato sauce (sauce kaani) or a squeeze of lime.

Tips

• The filling must be dry and cool, or the pastries can tear and burst in the oil.
• Spiced minced beef is the other classic filling; brown it with the onion in step 2.
• Wear gloves to cut or blend scotch bonnets, keep your hands away from your eyes and wash the board, knife and blender well afterwards.

Sources

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

Afrifood Network Gulf News