Known as Mahamri in Mombasa, these babies are ubiquitous to Kenyan homes. I recently took these to my Japanese friend’s house and her kids went crazy for them! Her three year old bundle of joy ate 4.4! I get the same effect with my fussy seven year old who looks away when I put all things gourmet in-front of her but not these. These get gobbled up fast!
It’s a great snack to prepare for guests. They’re also a popular breakfast dish in Mombasa, usually accompanied with mbaazi wa nazi (pigeon peas cooked in coconut gravy) which can be quite addictive. Check out the recipe here
Now, they might look a tad bit complex but once you try them the first time you’ll quickly get the hang of it and find it a breeze to make the second time round. You’ve got this.
Mahamri
Ingredients
- 500 gms All purpose flour
- 1 tsp Instant yeast
- 120 gms Sugar
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 tbsp butter optional
- 1 tsp Ground cardamom
- 2 cups oil for Deep frying
Instructions
- Watch the video below
Did you try this recipe out?
How did it go? Comment below and if you took a pic, tag me @swahilifood on Instagram and hashtag it #swahilifood.
Would like measurements in cups as opposed to gms. For future recipes, maybe provide both.
Hi Tara, will def find a way to have both. hugs
Hi Vanessa…I tried this recipe with coconut milk but my dough backfired and noticed only when I use water does it work okay…any suggestions?
Hi there, i noticed when i used thick coconut cream it ends up being overly greasy and not good. Is that what you used? Coconut milk usually always gives me great results (a little fat from the coconut makes them special)
Tamu
Hi vanessa am hanan
From hanoona’s kitchen and i love your channel would you like to work together to advertise our channels
Hi love, send me a message via insta so i can check your page out. hugs
I wanted to make this recipe, but can’t find it anywhere on your page.
Please help
Managed to fix the blog
Hi Vanessa,
I love love love mahamri and was so excited to see your recipe. I tried it and sadly they came out flat!😂 All the measurements were followed to the T, but still. Funny enough, the flour rose at every point it was supposed to except while in the pan. Any idea why that would happen?
Thanks!
Hi Georgette, Ugh that’s so frustrating and something that happens to many so don’t be discouraged. Don’t let it rise too long once you’ve cut out the shapes. Oil temp is also crucial (look for a gentle bubble around a skewer to know when the oil is ready) once you add the mahamri to the oil wait a few seconds then turn and keep them moving. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiBLYBrnn3g&t=1753s here is a link to a very long and very detailed video. Its one of the lives i did earlier this year. Hope it helps. Crossing my fingers and toes for your next attempt. Hugs
Oh no! I know that feeling oh too well and almost gave up making Mahamri because of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiBLYBrnn3g here is a link to a step by step i filmed live. It is long but worth watching
What will happen if I use normal cow milk?
It might render different results. Id suggest half milk, half water
White Coconut milk gives better taste than made with animal milk, you can get canned coconut milk, which will save you the trouble of extracting milk from the coconut itself, Happy cooking Enjoy.
I just tried making these, the dough was way way way way too wet, like cupcake batter. I measured everything with scales. I have made mahamri a million times but wanted to try a new recipe because why not? Your recipe is much simpler and faster than mine and they looked great in the video. I ended up having to add another 2 cups of flour, which is a LOT. And then of course the ratios of yeast, sugar and spice were off. I can only assume that ‘1 can coconut milk’ should be 1 cup? Or that your cans are much smaller than the standard 400g? Are you able to tell me what size can you use so I can try again?
These came out perfect!! Followed exact recipe! Thank you!