Soft Mini Mandazi
Soft Mini Mandzi – East African doughnuts made with grated coconut, spiced with cardamon, nutmeg, and fried to perfection. 
So I guess it is no secret that I love fried dough, you can tell by all puff-puffs, and doughnuts that I have featured here on this blog. Not to talk of this other Mandazi featured here. I am SUPER excited to present this one – Soft Mini Mandazi. Man, you are going to love this! 
Mandazi is a slightly sweet East African Street Food; spicy, airy yeast doughnut made with coconut milk, flavored with cardamom and grated fresh coconut/coconut flakes 
It can be made with yeast or baking powder. However, I love the depth of flavor that yeast adds to this dough, so my first choice is yeast; unless you need a quick fix – then replace the yeast with baking powder and let it rest for 10 minutes before frying. 
Trust me. I have been reading your comments and emails about mandazi and a lot of your complains have been about them being too tough or stringy after a while. Folks, rejoice, because this is not! They are bite size, tender and AMAZINGLY good. Don’t believe me? Make it and see for yourself. Before you make these addictive bites, here are some tips to keep in mind before you proceed.
Make sure the water is not too hot. You don’t want it warmer than body temp. In order for your mandazi to be fluffy, it has to double in size; be patient with it (it might take longer for some days depending on weather and the internal temperature of your kitchen). If your mandazi does not rise in an hour, try turning on the oven to warm for 10 minutes. Then, turn it off and let the dough rise in the oven.
If all else fails, mix rapid rise yeast into the dough and knead it. You may switch out evaporated milk with coconut milk. It is best to use freshly ground cardamom for this recipe; you get a hint of crushed seeds as you bite into the dough for an enjoyable experience.
Watch How to Make It
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Soft Mini Mandazi
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) warm water
- 2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- Evaporated milk (5 ounce , 147ml can) or ¾ cup canned coconut milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup , (100 g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/2 – 4 cups all purpose flour (435- 500 grams)
- ¼ cup grated coconut or coconut flakes
- 1 teaspoon crushed cardamom spice
- 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg or cinnamon
- powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar to sprinkle
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the warm water, evaporated milk, salt, sugar and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes. Add egg mix.
- Then add 3 ½ cups flour, cardamom, nutmeg, grated coconut and continue mixing by hands or in a stand mixer .
- Turn dough on a lightly floured surface, knead dough until all the ingredients have been fully incorporated and the dough is not too sticky, when touched, gradually add the remaining flour if you need to, err on the side of less flour than more flour. Mix dough until smooth about 1 -2 minutes.
- Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover Loosely with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 to 2 hours or until doubled.
- Roll out dough in to 1 inch thick. Cut in bite size
- In a large, sauce pan pour vegetable oil, until it is at least 3 inches (or about 5 centimeters) high (too little will result in flatter mandazi and place on medium heat until oil is 350 degrees.
- Fry until golden brown about 3-5 minutes depending on size. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper napkin. serve warm
Nutrition Information:
wooow thanx for the recipe. I followed it step by step n it came out perfect. doubting Thomases pliz try it works.gudozzzz imma
Glad you liked it Beatrice!
how can i make hard mini mandazi?
Reduce the butter, or eliminate completely
There is no mention of butter in the recipe so how would one eliminate it? Ours is in the oven for the last hour and not rising as expected.
Sorry to hear about that. I can’t really tell what might be the culprit. Check measurements and yeast. This recipe does not include butter . If you want the baked version check it out here https://www.africanbites.com/baked-soft-mandazi/
Or knead much longer than you usually would, makes what’s cooked of any dough that much harder, more ‘chewy’ if I may. That way you don’t have to lose the nice taste butter adds to Immaculate’s great recipe.
Thanks for for taking the time to chime in.
Hello,
I would like to make the mandazi for the next day so I just have to fry the next day. Can I mix everything and keep it overnight and if yes, where can I put it (fridge, outside) and for how long would be the max.
Yes, you can! Make it then cut and place in a single layer on a baking pan/sheet. Cover and store for about 24hours in the fridge. That’s the maximum amount of time I have tried. When ready to fry remove, let it rest for about 30 minutes then fry.
If I mix everything and leave overnight,does it have to be in the fridge and does it need to be cut in pieces ? Can I cover and leave in warm place?
Looking forward to making these tomorrow ☺
Yes, it does have to be in the fridge to prevent over-fermentation.Outside will yield a strong yeasty flavor .But you can make it, let it rise first and then refrigerate. Remove and cut the day off.
OMG!! I might as well say bye bye to my waistline. My new guilty pleasure :-)I used half plain flour and half wholemeal and they turned out great. Thank you for the recipe.
You and I both Catherine! So love these Mandazi! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
Great recipe! I used coconut milk and added some finely flaked coconut along with flour. I am making them for a Kenyan friend and I think she’ll like them!
She definitely will.You are an Awesome friend.
Thanks Immaculate for the recipe……i will try and see if my Mandazi becomes softer…Thank you.
Hi Conniey! This will definitely help! Please let me know how it works for you. Thanks
lovely…
Immaculate thanks for the recipe,I really like mandazi and i wll try out these. so i need help with some words,mostly what is evaporated milk?
Evaporated milk is milk that is more concentrated, usually sold in cans. You can sub with with regular milk.
thanks 4the recipe girl. I tried ’em out n they r amazing!
Glad you liked it Doreen!
Hi,
Thanks a for good practical you have made to me you will see results soon
Hi..i was wondering what to replace for eggs?as i dont eat eggs
replace with 1/4 cup yogurt, tofu or ground flax seeds.
hi , i have tried this and i have like them,
it’s awesome.
Thanks Elizabeth!
Made this for chrismas n my son loves them …he is 15 months now!
Hi Lolita! So glad to hear and thanks for sharing!
my gals and I love this mandazis, best recipe ever!!! Thanks a million….
Aww thanks Diana. Glad it was a hit with the gals
I made these and they were very delicious! What a treat! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Thanks for the feedback!!
I tried it is very delicious.
God bless the work of my hands
Thank you! Glad you liked it.