Swahili Mandazi

Instructions

1. 1
   In a spacious mixing bowl, whisk your dry components together: all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, active dry yeast, ground cardamom, and fine salt until fully uniform.
2. 2
   Create a small well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the warm coconut milk, whisked egg, and melted butter.
3. 3
   Stir the liquids outwards into the flour wall with a sturdy spatula until a shaggy, combined dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
4. 4
   Transfer the dough onto a clean, lightly floured countertop. Knead vigorously for 8-10 minutes until it transforms into a silky, supple, and elastic ball that no longer clings to your skin.
5. 5
   Pop the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, drape a clean kitchen towel over the top, and leave it to ferment in a draft-free warm area for 1 hour, or until doubled in volume.
6. 6
   Once fully risen, gently punch down the dough to release large air bubbles. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions for easy handling.
7. 7
   Take one portion and roll it out with a floured rolling pin into a flat circle roughly 1 cm (about 1/3-inch) thick—keep it thick so they puff nicely.
8. 8
   Using a sharp knife, cut the circle into a cross to yield 4 uniform, triangular wedges. Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the remaining dough portions.
9. 9
   Pour your vegetable frying oil into a deep pot and heat over medium until it reaches a steady 175°C (350°F). Maintaining this heat is essential for hollow puffing without retaining grease.
10. 10
    Carefully slide 3 or 4 dough triangles into the hot oil, ensuring they have room to float. They will submerge briefly and immediately rise to the top, puffing like mini balloons.
11. 11
    Fry for about 2 minutes per side, flipping carefully with a slotted spoon, until they show off that gorgeous rich golden-brown hue captured in the file "Mandazi.png".
12. 12
    Fish out the hot pastries and rest them on a wire rack lined with paper towels to drain any surface oil.
13. 13
    To perfectly match the aesthetic of the file "Mandazi.png", arrange them warm on a brown parchment paper inside a woven basket and sift a fine snow of powdered sugar over the batch right before serving.