Mahamri — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Triangular, pillowy fried dough made with coconut milk and lightly spiced with cardamom, a beloved Swahili breakfast treat from the Kenyan coast.

Ingredients

1 Mix flour, sugar, yeast, cardamom, and salt in a bowl. Add coconut milk gradually, kneading into a soft dough.
2 Knead for ten minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for ninety minutes.
3 Punch down dough and divide into six balls. Roll each into a circle, then cut into triangles.
4 Let triangles rest for fifteen minutes for a second rise, puffing up slightly on the counter.
5 Heat oil to 170C and fry mahamri in batches for three minutes, turning once, until golden and puffed.
6 Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with Kenyan chai, honey, or alongside spiced bean soup.

Did You Know?

In Lamu Island, the oldest Swahili settlement in Kenya, mahamri are still made using recipes passed down through generations for centuries.