GUEST BLOG: Chez Afrique’s Puff Puff

I love Puff Puff as it is called in Nigeria and I’ll be serving it this Saturday 19:30 until late for the Afro-Caribbean event at the Waiting Room as part of Black History Month.

It is a spongy, deep-fried, spherical snack, popular in most of Africa. It is soft and springs back to touch, like when you pinch a foam sponge. It is also called bofrot in Ghana, mikate in Congo, or kala in Liberia is a traditional African snack similar to a doughnut. There is also a similar version known as mandazi in Eastern and Southern Africa.

It is popularly used for party food as a sweet snack but it can also savoury and others add some chopped onion and scotched bonnet to give it a kick. It can be had as breakfast or after meals. Can also be used at cocktail dinners, filled with cream or chocolate.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make your own at home

Serves 14

Prep time: 50mins
Cook time: 15mins
Total Time: 1hr 5mins

2 cups plain flour (250g)
4 teaspoons quick rise yeast
2/3 - 1 cup granulated sugar (133 -210g) or to your taste
3 pinches of salt (optional)
1.5 cup Lukewarm water (for mixing)
Vegetable oil or preferred oil (for frying)

Before making the dough
First mix any pebble looking yeast or yeast past to ½ cup lukewarm water and set aside which will added later when water has been added to the Puff puff mix. Add powder form looking yeast directly to the dry ingredients.

Directions
In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt(optional). Add risen yeast if used before the water as you may need just 1 cup of water. Slowly add lukewarm water while mixing by hand and stop as soon as water is incorporated and batter is smooth. The mixture should be much thicker than pancake batter with a couple of bubbles.

Cover mixture with table cloth and set aside in a warm place for 45-60 mins. The batter should have risen in quantity and will have some air bubbles.

Pour some oil in a deep pot and allow to heat up. It’s not advisable to use a deep fryer for Puff Puff because of the netting but if you want to use it, set the temperature to 170°C.

Note: The oil should be at least 3 inches deep. This is so that the puff puff will become spherical when scooped into the oil.

Test that the oil is hot enough by putting a drop of batter into the oil. If it sizzles and comes up to the surface of the oil, then the oil is hot enough. If the oil is not hot enough, the batter will go down to the bottom of the oil until hot enough.

When the oil is hot enough, scoop some batter into the oil with your hand by pressing the batter to come out from between your thumb and index finger.

Put in more scoops of the batter, as much as the space in the frying pot will allow without overcrowding.

Once the underside of the puff puff has turned golden brown, flip the ball so that the topside will be fried as well.

When both sides are golden brown, take out the puff puff balls and place in a sieve. If you want to reduce the oil on your Puff Puff as much as possible, then line your sieve with paper towels. The paper towels help soaks away the excess oil on the puff puff.

Serve, enjoy and share any photos of your success on the facebook event!