Home-made Mandazi

Why this dinner works

Most weeknight one-pot dinners ask you to choose between two evils: a five-ingredient bowl that tastes like the inside of a saucepan, or a recipe so layered it eats your entire evening. Home-made Mandazi sits comfortably in the middle. It draws on Kenyan traditions where building flavor in stages — aromatics, then spice, then the slow swell of liquid into starch — is just how dinner gets made on a regular Tuesday.

The whole thing comes together in about 68 minutes in a single skillet, which means dinner from idea to table is shorter than most podcast episodes. We've leaned on the everyday 4 ingredients listed below, but in the notes after the recipe you'll find the small swaps and shortcuts that make this dish forgiving when your fridge is half-empty.

Method

1. Step 1. This is one recipe a lot of people have requested and I have tried to make it as simple as possible and I hope it will work for you. Make sure you use the right flour which is basically one with raising agents. Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste and try using different flavours to have variety whenever you have them.
2. Step 2. You can use Coconut milk instead of regular milk, you can also add desiccated coconut to the dry flour or other spices like powdered cloves or cinnamon.
3. Step 3. For “healthy looking” mandazis do not roll the dough too thin before frying and use the procedure I have indicated above.
4. Step 4. 1. Mix the flour,cinnamon and sugar in a suitable bowl.
5. Step 5. 2. In a separate bowl whisk the egg into the milk
6. Step 6. 3. Make a well at the centre of the flour and add the milk and egg mixture and slowly mix to form a dough.
7. Step 7. 4. Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes or until it stops sticking to the sides of the bowl and you have a smooth surface.
8. Step 8. 5. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
9. Step 9. 6. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 1cm thick piece.
10. Step 10. 7. Using a sharp small knife, cut the dough into the desired size setting aside ready for deep frying.
11. Step 11. 8. Heat your oil in a suitable pot and gently dip the mandazi pieces to cook until light brown on the first side then turn to cook on the second side.
12. Step 12. 9. Serve them warm or cold

Cook's notes

One pan, fewer dishes. Use the widest, heaviest skillet you own with a tight-fitting lid. The wider base means faster browning at the start; the lid traps the gentle steam that finishes the dish without scorching the bottom.

Salt as you go. Season the aromatics, season the protein, season the liquid before it reduces. By the time you taste at the end, the only adjustment is usually acid — a squeeze of lemon, a splash of vinegar, a final crack of pepper.

Make it ahead. Like most one-pot dinners with kenyan roots, the leftovers are arguably better the next day. Cool quickly, refrigerate within two hours, and reheat gently with a splash of water or stock to loosen things back up.

Pairings & serving

This one feels best in a 4-bowl spread with a sharp green salad and something cold to drink. If you want to stretch it for unexpected company, double the liquid and a single starchy ingredient — rice, pasta, potatoes, depending on the recipe — and the whole pan grows without much extra work.

Original recipe inspiration: source.