World Stroll
Motswana recipe

How to make Magwinya (fat cakes)

magwinya

Across southern Africa

Commons: Magwinya
Photo: Attiem, CC BY-SA 4.0

Balls of soft yeast dough deep-fried until golden, like a doughnut without a hole and without much sugar. They are sold hot from roadside stalls in the morning and eaten plain, with jam, or with soup or a stew.

Serves 12 2 h

Ingredients

  • 500 g plain flour
  • 7 to 10 g (1 sachet) instant dried yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • About 350 ml lukewarm water
  • Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Method

  1. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
  2. Add the water little by little and knead for about 8 minutes into a soft, slightly sticky dough.
  3. Cover and leave in a warm place for about an hour, until doubled in size.
  4. Heat the oil in a deep pan to about 170 °C. Pull off golf-ball-sized pieces of dough and fry a few at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until golden and cooked inside.
  5. Drain on kitchen paper and eat warm. Take great care with hot oil, and never leave the pan unattended.
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