We love using our Instant Pot to prove the dough for bread, naan and doughnuts.
INSTANT POT EGGLESS MANDAZI/MAHAMRI | HOW TO MAKE MANDAZI
East African Heritage
One of my most favourite things to do as a child was listening to stories from both of my parents' childhoods. Whenever my Mum cooked a meal, she would always have a story attached to it. I listened intently, as I imagined that life myself. But, mostly I kept her distracted so she didn't notice that I hadn't finished all my greens...
My Dad then always chipped in with his childhood stories growing up in East-Africa and the food that his Mum would make. He would always ask my Mum to recreate those old recipes and now I have learned to make them too.
I have grown up on authentic Indian food, East-African Gujarati food, and of course, British food.
Some of my favourite East-African recipes which are unique to Gujaratis who grew up there are:
Kasoli nu Saak (Sweetcorn and Peanut Curry)
Maru Bhajiya (Crispy Potato Fritters)
Sweetcorn and Red Kidney Bean Curry
Kenyan Style Chevdo (a delicious snack)
Instant Pot Eggless Mahamri
Doughnuts without eggs - what it tastes like
✓ Mind-blowingly good
✓They may remind you of Indian Gulgule , Air Fryer Donut Holes or Shakkar Para
🍩 Ingredients
Here is everything you will need, plus ingredients substitute ideas.
1. All-purpose flour - plain flour -maida
2. Coconut Milk - we have used thick milk.
3. Desiccated coconut or flakes
4. Sugar - regular granulated sugar works fine (for vegans make sure the sugar is suitable for vegans too)
5. Dried Yeast - it will help to raise the dough.
6. Salt - helps to magnify the sweet flavours.
7. Olive Oil - it keeps doughnuts soft without getting dry.
8. Vegetable Oil for deep frying
9. Cardamom powder - it's a backbone of this recipe, do not miss adding it.
💡 Tips:
If you do not have yeast, then you can use self-raising flour. Use the same proportion of self-raising flour to normal all-purpose flour from the recipe. If you do not have self-raising flour, use all-purpose flour and add baking soda and baking powder. (you don't need proving)
Because I know that you will be pestered by your family and friends to keep making these, we have included some Variations of flavours for you!
- Add a drop of vanilla essence to the dough and sprinkle vanilla sugar when serving
- Add a pinch of cinnamon powder to the dough and sprinkle cinnamon sugar when serving
- Add lemon or lime zest for a citrusy variation
📝 How to make Mahamri/Mandazi:
Note-please follow step by step instructions, full printable recipe card with the exact measurement is at the bottom of this post)
KNEAD THE DOUGH
1. In a big bowl or stand mixer bowl, place flour, salt, sugar, cardamom and coconut flakes. (pic 1)
2. Combine using a balloon whisk. (pic 2)
3. Add milk and olive oil. (pic 3)
4. Knead the dough. (pic 4)
5. Place the parchment paper in an inner pot and place the dough, cover the pot with the lid. (pic 5)
6. Put the inner pot in the instant pot, select YOGURT mode and press for 1 hour. (pic 6)
Shape Mandazi
7. Deflate the dough by gently punching a couple of times and divide the dough into 8 equal portions. (pic 7)
8. Make round balls and keep it five minutes aside. (pic 8)
9. Roll out each ball. (pic 9)
10. Into 6" disk. (pic 10)
11. Cut into 4 triangles. (pic 11)
12. Cover it with the clean kitchen towel. (pic 12)
DEEP FRYING
13. Heat enough oil in a kadai or pan. (pic 13)
14. Carefully add one doughnut in a pan, if the pan is bigger add a couple. (pic 14)
15. Deep fry on medium heat until golden. (pic 15)
😋 Tips to get the best risen Mahamri
Keep the triangles of the dough rolled out thin and also not too large - this will help to get air pockets and achieve the authentic Mahamri shape.
Make sure you have enough oil in your frying pan / Kadai as the Mahamri need space to rise in the pan.
First heat oil on high flame, then turn the flame on medium.
Don't keep high flame while frying, keep it on medium but keep consistent temperature all the time, else the doughnuts will quickly go brown outside and remain raw inside.
If you do not have an Instant Pot, you can still easily prove the dough.
Here is how to prove the dough the traditional way:
Once you have all the ingredients in the bowl, mix it with the wooden spoon.
Bring the dough to a working surface and knead the dough using heels of your palm for about 10-15 minutes, until you get shiny, pliable and smooth dough.
Transfer the dough in a large greased bowl with oil, cover it with the cling film or clean kitchen towel.
Set aside in a warm place for 50-90 minutes or until it rises in double size.
Then follow the same procedure as above.
🥫 Store:
Store in an airtight container so they do not go too soft
If you reheat, they may lose a little of their texture but will still taste wonderful!
퐅 OTHER INSTANT POT RECIPES
📖 RECIPE CARD
Instant Pot Eggless Mandazi/Mahamri | How to make Mandazi
Equipment
- Big bowl
- Balloon whisk
- Stand mixer
- Instant pot
- Rolling Pin
- Sharp knife
- pizza cutter -optional
- Cling film – optional
- Parchment paper -optional
- Wooden board
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 500 g plain flour + some for dusting
- 150 g sugar
- 50 g desiccated coconut
- 300 ml coconut milk lukewarm
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tsp. dried yeast
- 1 tsp. cardamom powder
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- In a big bowl place flour, sugar, salt, coconut, yeast and cardamom powder.
- Combine everything using whisk.
- Add oil and coconut milk.
- Knead the dough using a stand mixer. Start with low speed, once the dough comes together, go higher the speed and knead the dough for 8 minutes until the dough is shiny, pliable and smooth.
- In the inner pot of instant pot place the parchment paper, and place the kneaded dough.
- Cover the pot with the glass lid.
- Select the YOGURT mode and press for 1 hour.
- Punch the dough is proved, punched it down gently to remove the air from the dough.
- Now cut the dough using a sharp knife into 8 equal pieces.
- Make round balls and leave it aside.
- Dust little flour on the work board, and roll out not too thin 6-7″ round disk.
- Cut the disk into 4 triangles using pizza cutter.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil.
- Deep-fry doughnuts on medium heat.
- Remove using a slotted spoon.
- Sprinkle little powdered or icing sugar and serve hot.
Notes
Use dairy milk for a vegetarian mandazi.
If first doughnuts get brown very quickly, turn the heat very low wait for a while oil to cool down a little.
Do not press the doughnut very hard while frying, just gently tap it with spoon and allow to rise fully.
Best serve hot. The nutritional information provided is an approximation calculated by an online calculator. Please consult a professional dietitian for nutritional advice.
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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Two Healthy Kitchens says
So much I love about this post! First, your GORGEOUS photography! Second, your sweet and funny story about listening to your parents' stories as you learned to cook family heirloom recipes (and distracting your mum when it came to those greens hahaha!). And thirdly, of course - this recipe. Brilliant! What a great idea to use the Instant Pot for proving - where I live, we often don't have warm weather, either, and this is a great little trick to get perfectly risen dough! Thank you so much!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy says
I love trying recipes from around the world. This sounds delicious. Food memories from childhood are the best!!
Amanda says
This looks delightful and hope to make them soon!!
Please could you mention the quantity for baking soda and baking powder also can only baking powder be used.
Can this be made with fresh coconut.
jcookingodyssey says
Hi Amanda, thanks for stopping by and leaving a lovely comment. For one cup plain flour use 1/2 tsp. baking soda or 1 tsp. baking powder.
With regards to using fresh coconut, you could use it but only unless you can still make very very fine pieces with it. We found that even with using desiccated coconut, it left holes in the dough and sometimes the mandazi didn't rise as air escaped and didn't make pockets.
If you do make it, please take photos and let us know how it turned out! Good luck!!
Archana says
This is totally new dish for me. Looks so very delicious, crisp and just right for the monsoon season.
Priya Srinivasan - I Camp in My Kitchen says
mandazi, oh yumm, we love it. have made it quite a few times as kids enjoy the coconut flavor. i too add a little coconut to the buns as they add a nice flavor!! Proofing the dough in the IP looks interesting!!! A great snack anytime/!!!
jcookingodyssey says
Thnks Priya, glad to know that your kids love it too!
Sasmita says
This is a completely new as well as an interesting dish.
These look so crispy and delicious. Use of IP is a lovely idea, will try sometime
jcookingodyssey says
Thanks Sasmita, let us know if you try this dish of ours.
jayashree says
Mandazi is quite new to me, it looks and sounds so flavourful. I hope to make it sometime. Good to know about this.
jcookingodyssey says
Thank you Jayashree!
Sapna says
I have never heard of this but this vegan mandazi sure does sounds super delicious.
The pictures are so beautiful and I just can’t keep scrolling up and down.
jcookingodyssey says
Thanks Sapna 🙂
Padma says
Mandazi looks and sounds so delicious. This is totally new to me...I have never heard about this before.
With your detailed recipe I'm surely going to try this sometime...Thanks for sharing.
jcookingodyssey says
Thank you Padma, let us know how you get on 🙂
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
I am literally drooling seeing your recipe. I love this and would be trying this very soon. Love the IP for being able to proof the dough perfectly every time.
jcookingodyssey says
Thanks Sandhya, IP is boon for us 🙂
Vandana says
Such a unique recipe and it sounds delicious too. I will definitely try it. My parents also used to tell us stories related to different dishes from their childhood and that's how I developed interest in food and cooking.Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
jcookingodyssey says
Thanks Vandana, glad to hear your story too 🙂
mildly indian says
This looks like a great chai treat. As usual your images are so amazing I get hungry just seeing them.
jcookingodyssey says
Thank you!
Mayuri Patel says
Mahamri is our once a month brunch. So popular in Mombasa, its practically sold in every nook and corner! Its what the poor people can afford, one mahamri with some black tea for breakfast. Its a little sweet as the sugar gives them energy to go on till their next meal. I'm intrigued that you've added desiccated coconut.
jcookingodyssey says
Thanks Mayuri for stopping by. I have heard about this Dish a lot from my dad, uncles and aunties. This recipe is my late Garndma's, she always added coconut so I have too, actually coconut gives that beautiful texture, flavour and aroma to it.
Pavani says
This is a completely new dish for me and now I am tempted to make it for my family. They looks so crispy and delicious. Thanks for the detailed recipe and photos.
jcookingodyssey says
Thanks Pavani, hope you guys enjoy making it.
Lata Lala says
Vegan African mandazi looks so delicious. This is so new dish to me as I have never heard about this before.
Your detailed recipe is such a great help. Thank you for sharing.
jcookingodyssey says
Thanks Lata for stopping by.