Last week, the craving for bagiya hit so hard that I attempted to make some at home…. only to realize I don’t really know how they are made. *insert face palm emoji* I had a vague idea of soya flour and cassava flour but besides that I totally knew nothing. I was frustrated and a bit guilty because this is one snack I have had from childhood but had never bothered to find out how it was made or what went into it. I took to Instagram and was surprised to find out that almost no one knew how to make bagiya too! For the next coming months, I am on a quest to research about and make bagiya but in the meantime, we can indulge in daddies.

What are Daddies? Daddies are also a childhood snack that just bring back all the memories. Boarding school grub at its finest…If you have been through the Ugandan education system.  I am yet to find out the origin of the daddies and how they came to be called that in the first place. If you don’t know daddies, they are small bite-sized sweet fried flour cubes. Their composition is similar to mandazi although very crunchy since a lot of shortening is used. Since it is still citrus season (check out my last post), I infused orange juice and zest into these daddies to give it a fragrant aroma and fruity taste. They can be eaten on their own or as parfait, or in porridge and anything you like really. There are no rules.

 

What you will need:

4 C. All Purpose flour

4 Tbsp. Sugar

3 Tsp. Oil/Margarine/butter

1/2 C. Orange juice

1 C. Cold water

1 Tsp. Orange zest

1/2 Tsp . Nutmeg

1/2 Tsp. Ground cloves

1/2 Tsp. Salt

 

Observations:

To create layers in the daddies,  use the puff pastry technique of rolling and folding the dough. . Fold it three times before cutting.

Method

1. In a clean bowl, add flour, sugar, salt, nutmeg, cloves, orange zest and mix well.
2. Rub in the oil/butter/margarine til the flour mixture is coarse.
3. Pour in the orange juice and mix well. Next pour in the water gradually until a firm dough is formed. Set aside the dough for about 10 minutes.
4. After 10 minutes, knead the dough till smooth.
5. Flour your rolling surface and roll the dough to about half an inch in thickness. Using a sharp knife cut the dough into small bite-sized squares.
6. Place a pan on fire. Add oil and wait for it to get hot.
7. Add your daddies and fry them till golden brown. Remove from oil and drain.
8. Serve. Preferably with tea or hot cocoa.

I would like to know, what Ugandan snacks are you able to make at home? Which one do you struggle with?

Also do you think I should make a video for these daddies or not?