serves
6–8
prep
30 minutes
cook
35 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
6–8
people
preparation
30
minutes
cooking
35
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
Mahamri (Swahili buns)
- 450 g (3 cups) plain flour
- 1 cup coconut milk powder (see Note)
- 55 g (¼ cup) white sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tbsp dried active yeast
- 300 ml milk
- oil, for deep-frying
Coconut corn
- 6 corn cobs, cut into 10 cm-thick pieces
- 1 cup coconut milk powder (see Note)
- 500 ml water
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
Suqaar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 500 g lamb, finely diced
- 1 onion, diced
- ½ red capsicum, finely diced
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 pinch salt
Resting time: 1 hour
Instructions
To make the mahamri, mix the flour, coconut milk powder, sugar, cardamom and yeast in a large bowl (see Note). Add the milk and combine well to form a dough. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 3-4 minutes or until dough springs back when pressed with a finger. Place into an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and place in a warm place for 1 hour or until dough doubles in bulk.
Punch dough down, and cut into 3. Form the dough into balls. Use a rolling pin to roll out to 5 mm thick rounds. Cut each round into quarters.
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-based frying pan. When the oil is hot, add the mahamri carefully, a few at a time, and fry until they puff up and turn golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
To make the coconut corn, put the corn pieces in a large saucepan. Mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over the corn. Cook over low heat for 10–15 minutes. Set aside.
To make the suqaar, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and stir-fry or until the meat is cooked. Set aside.
Serve the coconut corn and suqaar with the mahamri for dipping. Break apart a mahamri and use as a scoop.
Cook's notes
• Mahamri are eaten plain for breakfast or used to slurp up sauce at dinnertime – you can vary the amount of sugar in the recipe depending on what you’re going to serve them with.
• Coconut milk powder is available from health food stores and African, Indian and Asian grocers.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
