So I made some puff puff sometime back in October this year. They were very tasty. A really nice mix of textures, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. It’s been years since I made this snack and it is something that I recall eating as a treat as a small child and later as an adult part of the ‘small chops’ at Nigerian events. I cannot now remember where I got this recipe but it works very well for me. The only slight change was that I used up a whole satchet of yeast (7 g packets) because I did not want to waste what was left after I had taken 2 teaspoons. I made a total of 4 batches of puff puff with this formula – I think at the time I was at the end of my ‘cold that was not COVID’ and I found these snacks a great comfort when I was lolling about the house feeling unable to engage in real life.
It’s interesting, like many recipes across the globe, one will find a similar version in other countries and continents. Puff puff is no exception. I actually remember being reminded about Puff puff last Christmas when I was watching a Nigellla Lawson Christmas Special ( Cook, Eat, Repeat) and I saw her making Oliebollen which looked very much like Puff Puff. It did not take long Google search to find out the many names and varieties are on offer across the planet, it seem we humans love frying dough!
Just a few names I picked up on my internet food ‘tour’
| Bofrot (bofflot) – Ghana | Struffoli – Italy | Castagnole – Italy |
| Buñuelos -Spain | Astarpungar – Iceland | Olliebollen – Holland |
| Beignets – France | Krofne -Serbia | Roti goreng – Indonesia |
Having a quick squizz at these other recipes, they all look so interesting and I am sure they taste just as nice as they look. I wonder, if I might have a go at making a few in the summer (the summer, because I have more of a chance of walking and working off the calories consumed!). Certainly a culinary challenge I would be happy to take up.
In the meantime, I hope I will be able to make Puff Puff for Christmas day! I feel like they will be a nice snack to munch on while we are waiting for the turkey (the turkey that I have not bought yet…). I guess I will need to be organised and focussed to get it all right.
Ingredients
250g of Plain Flour
2 teaspoons of yeast
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
2 handfuls granulated sugar
3 pinches of salt
Lukewarm water (for mixing)
Vegetable Oil (for frying)
Method
1. Put the floor in a bowl, add the ground nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, yeast, sugar and salt and mix
2. 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.
3. Keep mixing till the batter is smooth but not too watery to flow from a spoon.
4. 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 ready to fry, the Puff Puff batter should have risen in quantity and will have some air bubbles.
5. Pour some oil in a deep pot and allow to heat up. The oil should be at least 3 inches deep. This is so that the puff puff will become spherical when scooped into the oil. 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.
6. 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 – this is what will make the Puff Puff have a near-perfect spherical shape.
7. Put in more scoops of the batter, as much as the space in the frying pot will allow without overcrowding.
8. Once the underside of the puff puff has turned golden brown, flip the ball so that the topside will be fried as well.
9. When both sides are golden brown, take out the puff puff balls and place in a paper towel lined sieve.
Just Bunmi 