Swahili Recipes: Kaimati (Fried Dumplings)

Kaimati (Fried Dumplings)
The method used to add yeast to wheat flour gives kaimati its distinctive flavor.
The Swahili and Bajuni communities frequently eat this traditional breakfast food or midday snack, which was brought over from Arab culture. It serves the whole family.

Ingredients
– 2 cups (280 g) wheat flour, refined
– 2 cups (447 g) water
– ½ tsp. (3 g) vanilla essence, clear
– ½ tsp. (1 g) cardamoms powder
– 1¼ tbsp. (12 g) yeast, dry
– 5 1/8 cups (1000 g) cooking oil
– 4 tbsp. (56 g) sugar

Preparation 20 minutes | Cooking 30 minutes | Serves 4
• Put yeast in a small container.
• Add 50ml of warmed water.
• Add 4 tbsp. of sugar and allow to stand for 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, warm the rest of the water in a cooking pot.
• Mix dry ingredients together; flour, cardamoms, and vanilla
essence in a bowl.
• Add ¼ cup (50 g) of oil into the mixture and rub in until finely
absorbed.
• Add the yeast preparation to the flour mixture, adding the
lukewarm water gradually while mixing to a semi-solid consistency.
• Cover with a dry towel/ cloth and allow to stand for 4 minutes
until the dough rises.
• In a pan put the rest of the oil and heat for 7 minutes or until
the oil bubbles when a pinch of dough is dropped in the oil.
• Shape the dough into round balls and put into the hot oil,
keep turning to cook evenly.
• Deep fry for 3-4 minutes.
• Remove from oil.

Ingredients (sugar syrup)
– 1 cup (187 g) white sugar
– ½ cup (116g) water
– ½ tsp. (4 g) vanilla essence, clear

Preparation of sugar syrup;
• Mix the sugar, water, and vanilla essence in a cooking pan.
• Put on the heat for 5 minutes.
• Stir to prevent sugar from sticking on the sides of the pan; the
mixture should be sticky.
• Add the fried dumplings to the sugar syrup and stir to coat
them in the syrup while still on the heat.
• Swirl until the syrup covers all the dumplings.
• Serve as desired.

The oozy dough balls known as kaimatis are a decadent speciality from the Kenyan Coast that are covered in mouthwatering syrup. They not only taste amazing but also take only a few minutes to put together.

These treats are typically made as a dessert or a delectable snack in many homes during the Holy Month of Ramadhan, but they are also available year-round as street food on the steamy Kenyan Coast.

Content courtesy of Kenya Food Recipes, Mama Ntilie & NFH
A Recipe Book of Common Mixed Dishes With Nutrient Values, As Prepared By Communities