Tag: food

Cinnamon Spiced Mandazi

~ Sophie ~ 13 Comments

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It’s mandazi time! These mandazi were made in celebration of so many things. Last week, the UCE results came out and my little sister passed well. The passing alone called for celebration. And yesterday was my birthday! I am growing old people! So we thought making mandazi would be wonderful since we are avid mandazi eaters!

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When you think of Ugandan kitchen staples, flour is a major component. We Ugandans eat a lot of flour. A LOT!  And mandazi’s are almost found everywhere.  Almost everyone can make and have their own recipe for mandazi too.  So I thought it would be a good idea to share my recipe for mandazi with you. Just to prove how simple mandazi are to make, here is:

RECIPE UPDATED SINCE JUNE 2020

What you will need:

2 C. Baking flour

1/4 c. Flour for flouring the surface and rolling dough

4 Tbsp. Sugar

1 C. Water

2 Tbsp. Butter/Margarine

1 Tbsp. Baking powder OR 1/4 Tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 Tsp. Ground cinnamon

1 Tsp. Vanilla essence

A pinch of salt

Powdered sugar (optional)

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Observations:

  1. The water should be cold.
  2. Make sure your oil is not very hot because this will cause the mandazi to burn before cooking through
  3. Cinnamon adds a mildly spicy and fragrant flavour.
  4. If you are using less oil. Make sure to flip the mandazi occasionally so the dough is fully cooked through.

 

Method

  1. In a clean bowl, sift flour and baking powder. Add salt, cinnamon and sugar and mix well.
  2. Rub in the butter till the flour becomes coarse.
  3. Mix the vanilla in water and add water and mix till a firm dough forms and is no longer sticking to your hands.
  4. Set aside to rest for ten minutes.
  5. After ten minutes, flour your surface and roll out the dough to about 1 ½ -2 inch thickness.
  6. Cut out rectangular shapes from the dough.
  7. Place a pan of frying oil on medium to high heat. Let the oil heat through.
  8. Fry the rectangular shaped dough ie the mandazi until risen and golden brown. Makes 10+
  9. Dust the mandazi with powdered sugar.

Serve

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Do you like mandazi as well? Or better yet, have you made them since the year began? Let me know below.

🙂

Sophie

 

 

 

Savory Avocado Salsa

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

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Happy New Year friends! How has the year been treating you so far? I would like to hear all about it in the comments below.  I have a lot to be grateful for. The year started off low key for me and it has mostly been that way ever since. Also unplugging has never felt so good. In fact it was so great it was extended for another week!  But now I am back with fresh ideas (stay tuned for some awesome news!) and cannot wait to see what 2017 has in store for us all. If you have been following me on Instagram, you know that I took a trip back home and I still cannot get over the beauty that was my morning view for about a week! It is so splendid to see the details of the natural beauty that God has created. It truly is amazing!

Despite the fact that this is a refreshing avocado dish (because who does not want to start the year on a good note?!), we have been hit by a heat wave. OK. Maybe not a heat wave but the sun is scorching every corner of the country! It is so terrible.  So while we are tirelessly waiting for it to finally rain, I figured cool but hearty meals will have to do. First off is this avocado salsa. I named it avocado salsa well because it is a combo of avocadoes, some tomatoes and onions.  As easy as it is to make, it adds a lot of flavour to food. We have been eating it with katogo. ALOT!

 

What you will need:

5 Small ripe avocadoes

2 large tomatoes

2 Large onions

Lemon juice of one lemon

Parsley, finely chopped

Black pepper

Salt

Simsim (roast sesame) for garnishing

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Observations:

  1. The avocadoes have to be very ripe
  2. You can substitute lemon juice for vinegar.
  3. Lemon juice prevents the avocado from changing color
  4. Add salt according to your preference

 

Method:

  1. Cut, core and peel the avocadoes.
  2. Finely chop the tomatoes and onions.
  3. In a large bowl, mash the avocadoes with a fork.
  4. Once fully mashed, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
  5. Garnish with simsim and serve with your favourite meal.

 

 

 

How are you conquering the dry hot weather? Also let me know when you do try this simple recipe.

🙂

Sophie

Jackfruit Scones

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

 

I think this year I have had the most jackfruit! Partly because we have generous neighbours and partly because we have a jackfuit tree in the backyard that is yielding the juiciest fruits. I cannot even begin to describe the joy that comes with harvesting from your own garden! A piece of this sweet fleshy fruit is enough to carry you through the day. Seriously! Because jackfruit packed with a lot of natural sugars (read: very sweet!) and has a sweet pungent fragrance, I have enjoyed baking with it on more than one occasion. Yes some moments have been fails but then some have been so good. And these scones fall in the latter category.  Just so you know I have been making these scones from way back in 2012 and now I am finally sharing this recipe. it is a surprising texture and flavor altogether.

 

What you will need:

I C. Ripe Jackfruit, diced

2 C. Flour

¼ C. Butter/Margarine

¼ C. Milk

2 Tbsp. Sugar

½ Tbsp. Baking powder

 

Method

  1. Combine flour, baking powder and sugar and mix well. Rub in the butter till the flour is like coarse breadcrumbs.
  2. Add the diced jack fruit. Pour in the milk little by little while kneading until a dough forms.
  3. Dust your working area and using your hands press the dough to half an inch thickness.
  4. Cut the dough into three equal parts and pile them on top of each other. Using a rolling-pin, roll out the dough again to half an inch thickness.
  5. Using a glass or cookie cutter cut out the scones.
  6. Bake till they turn golden brown.

 

Serve warm.

Hope you do try these scones for the holidays.

🙂

Sophie