African puff puffs: the African puff recipe

African puff puffs are essentially deep fried puffed dough balls that are light and airy at the center but have a nice crunchy hard crust on the outside!

This is quite similar to the doughnuts in terms of taste, and appearance but the only difference between the two is the texture on the outer crust. In doughnuts, the outer crust is not as hard and crunchy as the African puff puff.

This delicious sweet snack is very commonly available throughout Africa, particularly in the West Africa region. You may also dust the fried dough balls with a little powdered sugar to enhance the subtle sweetness of puff puffs.

So, here is the step by step direction to prepare this delicacy at your home.

Instructions

In a large bowl, add the lukewarm water, granulated sugar, and sprinkle yeast granules in it. Do not stir it and let the yeast bloom undisturbed for about 5 minutes. Add flour, powdered white sugar, salt, and nutmeg powder to the yeast mixture and slowly knead everything in to a soft and smooth dough.

Cover the bowl with a moist cloth and keep it in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough rises to double in its original size. Heat oil for frying on a pan and take a little golf ball sized portion of the dough. Drop the dough ball in to the hot oil and then fry it on medium flame until light brown in color. Continue with the remaining dough mixture until all the dough is used up. Serve hot balls and enjoy!

Tips:

Make sure the water used is not very hot, else the yeast will not work very well. You have to make sure that the dough rests for at least an hour or so until it is about double its original volume.

Nutritional information (per serving): 207 Calories, 7.1g Total fat (1g Saturated fat, 0.7g Polyunsaturated fat, 5g Monounsaturated fat), 0mg Cholesterol, 146.5mg Sodium, 33.6mg Potassium, 31.8g Total carbohydrates (0.8g Dietary fiber, 7.9g Sugars), 3.7g Protein