Puff puff is a popular pastry common in many African countries including Cameroon, Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, Congo, etc. Although this delicious pastry is known by different names e.g. bofrot in Ghana and kala in Liberia, puff puff preparation is similar across the board.
African puff puff recipe consists of simple steps that are easy to follow:
African Puff Puff Recipe
Puff Puff Ingredients
- 250g of Plain Flour
- 2 teaspoons of yeast (the one used in baking bread)
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Granulated Sugar to taste
- 3 pinches of salt
- Lukewarm water (for mixing)
- Vegetable Oil (for frying)
Note: Before starting, if using grainy or pasty yeast, first mix with lukewarm water and set aside. You will add it later when you have added water to the Puff Puff mix. If your yeast is in powder form, then add it when you add the other dry ingredients to the flour (as mentioned below).
Puff Puff Directions
- Put the floor in a bowl, add the ground nutmeg, powdered yeast, sugar and salt. Mix all these together.
- Add water in small quantities and mix everything by hand till you have a good blend of all the ingredients. Add the yeast you mixed with lukewarn water if applicable. Use warm water to mix the puff puff ingredients if you want it to rise faster.
- Keep mixing till the batter is smooth but not too watery to flow from a spoon. The mix should be much thicker than pancake batter.
- Cover the bowl with aluminum foil and make sure it is airtight by pressing the edges of the bowl.
- Leave to rise for about 45 minutes. When OK to fry, the Puff Puff batter should have risen in quantity and will have some air bubbles.
- Pour some oil in a deep pot and allow to heat up. It’s not advisable to use a deep fryer for Puff Puff because of the netting but if you want to use it, set the temperature to 170°C. Note: The oil should be at least 3 inches deep. This is so that the puff puff will become spherical when scooped into the oil. You don’t want to end up with flat Pancakes. lol
- Test that the oil is hot enough by putting a drop of batter into the oil. If it sizzles and comes up to the surface of the oil, then the oil is hot enough. If the oil is not hot enough, the batter will go down to the bottom of the oil and stay there.
- When the oil is hot enough, scoop some batter into the oil with your hand by pressing the batter to come out from between your thumb and index finger. You should see the video for this technique as this is what will make your Puff Puff have a near-perfect spherical shape.
- Put in more scoops of the batter, as much as the space in the frying pot will allow without overcrowding.
- Once the underside of the puff puff has turned golden brown, flip the ball so that the topside will be fried as well.
- When both sides are golden brown, take out the puff puff balls and place in a sieve. If you want to reduce the oil on your Puff Puff as much as possible, then line your sieve with paper towels. The paper towels help soak away the excess oil on the puff puff.
Bon appetit and enjoy your African puff puff!
African puff puff – Photo
Nigerian puff puff by Afrolems, Nigeria
Is African puff puff popular in your country? If yes, what do you call it and how do you like it best: as a snack or part of a meal? Leave a comment!
(African puff puff recipe source: AllNigerianRecipes.com)