Amagwinya kaMalumekazi

This round, fried ball of awesomeness has been a staple in many African homes, over many years. UMalumekazi (my uncle's wife) is still the best at making amagwinya (fat cakes) and I bet you she didn't even know that she was making a vegan dish:). She makes them slightly crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. We'd surround her in the kitchen, almost hovering over her as she fried them in a pot at my my Gogo's house. As soon as she took them out of the pot, we were ready with our overly sweetened rooibos tea. We chowed those fried balls down! No guilt, no shame! Amagwinya are not, by any stretch of imagination a health vegan meal, but...my friend - live a little! Growing up, we ate amagwinya without any filling - just plain with rooibos tea. I've noticed that Joburgers prefer them filled with either a spicy mince or stuffed with polony. This past weekend I made amagwinya using the recipe and the method that uMalumekazi used all those years ago. Brought back so many memories:)

Ingredients

1. 6 cups of all purpose flour

2. 20ml of sugar

3. 10g of instant yeast

4. 5ml of salt

5. 3 cups of luke warm water (use sparingly)

6. Vegetable oil

Method

1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Slowly add the luke warm water, a little at a time. Kneed the mixture with your hands until a soft dough is formed. Cover the bowl and leave to rise in a warm area for about 30-40 minutes.

2. Once risen, kneed the dough again and cover the bowl while you prepare for frying.

3. On the hot stove, pour vegetable oil in a pot. Once the oil is hot, make small - medium sized balls with the dough and slowly drop in hot oil. Fry until golden brown.

4. Set aside when cooked and continue the process until the dough is finished.

As an ode to Joburg, I made mine with a spicy vegan mince filling, using the Fry's Veggie Mince.