Food

Spiced Ghanaian Donuts with Mango Jam

Ghanian Donuts Image by Carly Pildis

By Carly Pildis December 10, 2020

These simple donuts pack a flavorful punch! Filled with allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon, they are a blend of American holiday flavors and traditional Ghanaian ones. There is no yeast, so they come together quickly and easily. I used coconut milk as a fun way to make it pareve, but you could use real milk if that’s what you have on hand. This recipe makes six donuts, a generous serving of two small donuts per person, but it doubles very easily.

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
½ tablespoon allspice
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon nutmeg
1 cup flour
Pinch salt
½ tablespoon of baking powder
1 cup coconut milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 cups fresh or frozen ripe mango
½ cup white sugar
1 lime
Vegetable oil
Confectioners sugar

Put on some music. I recommend or Zoe’s Kitchen Playlist on Spotify.

Whisk together the dry ingredients until they are light and fluffy. Smell those spices, yum! In a separate bowl whisk together vanilla, egg, and coconut milk. Make a well in the dry ingredients and quickly and deftly fold in, stir only until just combined. Don’t overmix! Cover with a kitchen close and let sit for 30 minutes.

Time to start the jam! Place chopped mango and sugar in a large pan. Add a little bit of water to prevent scorching, about ¼ cup. Cook on high until mango breaks down into jam, about 45 minutes. Finish with a squeeze of lime.

Once the dough has rested for 30 minutes, clear a space to shape the dough. Oil your hands and shape the dough into golf ball-sized circles. Set aside while you heat the oil. Oil should be very hot, drop a scrap piece of dough in – if it sizzles and immediately expands oil is ready. Fry until golden brown, flipping a few times. This should take about 3 to 5 minutes. Place in a colander to cool and then thoroughly dust in confectioners sugar.

Serve Bofrot with Mango jam for dipping. YUM. Happy Chanukah!

Carly Pildis is an organizing and advocacy professional living in Washington, D.C.

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