Kaimati

East African sweet dumplings in cardamom syrup

Ingredients

Dumplings

• 1 1/4 cups full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon yeast
• 2 cups flour
• Oil, for frying

Syrup

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 teaspoon lime juice

Directions

Place the coconut milk in a large bowl and stir in the yeast. Leave to sit for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and mix for about 5 minutes. The dough will be thick and sticky. Cover the bowl and leave to sit at room temperature until slightly risen, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, place the water, sugar, and cardamom in a nonstick saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened, 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the lime juice, and leave to cool.

In a heavy-bottomed pot set over medium-high heat, heat 1 inch of oil to 375° F. Dip your fingers in a bowl of cold water, then pinch off a Tablespoon of dough and shape it with your fingers into a ball. Carefully place the dough into the hot oil; repeat until you have enough dough balls to fill the pot. Use a slotted spoon to continuously turn and stir the dumplings so they brown evenly; fry until golden brown all over, about 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to lift the dumplings out of the oil and carefully transfer them to the syrup. Stir to coat the dumplings in the syrup, then transfer them to a serving dish. Repeat with the remaining dough. Serve immediately.