Sweet Mandazi Pudding

Mandazi Pudding. Have a party and you couldn’t care for cake that much, grab some mandazi, milk, eggs, sugar and all the aromatics and all of a sudden you have this impressive beast of a dessert.

Mandazi: The ultimate east African snack. Although this snack has multiple variations in each county, region and household, you can be assured that the feelings Mandazi evoke are the same across worlds. If you want a quick snack for visitors, Mandazi come to the rescue. In need of a quick but filling breakfast, Mandazi and some ka chai will have you sorted out. In need of a quick lunch without the hustle of looking for a descent eatery, Mandazi has got your back. I cannot recall the number of times I have had a pack of Mandazi on me for emergency situations while running errands in Kampala. What I am trying to say is that Mandazi are versatile. And to be honest they are perfect on their own. So perfect that they don’t need to be enhanced.

BUT.

Just imagine with me, if you will, what would happen when you take this trusty and unassuming snack and drown it in a bath of milk, eggs, oil or butter, sugar and all the warm spices and flavors, then bake it until it has soaked in all the milky goodness. Top it with thick and wickedly sweet condensed milk and sprinkle with some raisins. wouldn’t that be such a delicious treat? See, what happens now is that you have a completely different snack. I’m going to let the photos speak for themselves. Have a party and you  don’t care for cake that much, grab some mandazi, milk, eggs sugar and all the aromatics and all of a sudden you have this impressive beast of a dessert. I made it for my sibling’s birthday and I didn’t miss cake at all.

Sweet Mandazi Pudding Recipe

What you will need:
12-14 mandazi
1 can condensed milk
1 C. Water
2 eggs
1/4 C. Oil/ Butter
Handful of raisins
1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 Tsp. Ginger, ground
1/2 Tsp. Cloves, ground
1/2 Tsp. Lemon zest
1 Tsp. Vanilla essence
1 Tbsp. Lemon/Lime juice
A pinch of salt

Observations

1. I didn’t add any sugar since the condensed milk is already heavily sweetened.
2. If you are using salted butter, you can omit the pinch of salt.
3. Letting the pudding rest after baking will allow it to cool down and for easy removal from the baking pan.

Method

1. Break the mandazi into bite sized pieces and set aside.
2. In a clean bowl mix condensed milk, water, eggs, oil/butter, vanilla, lemon juice and salt till a thick milky syrup is formed.  Stir in the nutmeg, ginger, cloves and lemon zest.
3. Soak the broken mandazi pieces  and raisins in the milk bath for 10 – 15 minutes.
4. Transfer into a greased cake/bread pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes.
5. Let the pudding rest for another 15 -20 minutes before serving
6. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream

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