South African Magwinya Recipe
To any Tswana speaking person, Magwinya, also known as fat cakes, need no introduction. To the rest of the world, this is what put a smile on millions of people living in the townships of South Africa and Botswana. In South Africa the way of eating Magwinya is with polony (similar to bologna).
INGREDIENTS
- 500g all-purpose flour (or cake flour without raising agent)
- 4 tablespoons or 30g of sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 500ml warm water
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil ( plus more for deep frying)
PREPARATION
- Gather the ingredients
- In a clean bowl, mix the flour, sugar, yeast and salt together
- Add warm water and vegetable oil and begin to mix into a soft dough
- Once the dough has been mixed very well, cover with a tea towel and set aside to rise for an hour. There is no need to knead the dough
- After an hour, the dough should have doubled in size. Mix the dough again – this helps to achieve softer dough. After mixing, allow the dough to rest further for 10 minutes
- In the meantime, heat up enough vegetable oil in a pot for deep frying over medium heat
- Scoop out some batter with a large spoon and drop into the hot oil. Use a second spoon to push the dough into the hot oil if needed. Ensure the hot oil is being heated under a medium flame to prevent Magwinya from browning too much. Fry until golden brown
- Once ready, scoop the Magwinya out of the pot and place onto absorbent kitchen paper to drain the excess oil
- Magwinya can be served alone but goes well with a cup of tea. For extra indulgence, roll it in jam and sugar. Serve immediately.