1
Make Dough
Mix flour, sugar, yeast, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt. Add warm coconut milk and oil. Knead into a soft, smooth dough.
The dough should be soft but not sticky — add flour if too wet.
Malawi | Breakfast
Mandasi
Malawian mandasi, lightly sweet fried dough made with coconut milk, yeast, cardamom, and a proper rise before frying.
Country
Malawi
Region
East Africa
Time
100 min
Serves
12
Level
easy
Recipe overview
What to know before you cook
Mandasi should not be rushed. Let the dough puff, then fry gently so the inside cooks before the outside gets too dark.
What the dish tastes like
Malawian mandasi, lightly sweet fried dough made with coconut milk, yeast, cardamom, and a proper rise before frying.
When to cook it
Best for everyday meals, with a easy cooking level and about 100 minutes total.
What to serve alongside it
Tea, coffee, fruit jam, or powdered sugar
Follow the collection
Mandasi appears in 2 AfroKitchen collections. Start with Vegetarian Africa if you want more dishes in the same mood. Vegetarian Africa
Regional lane
Malawi national table. A verified Malawi dish in the AfroKitchen archive.
Chef watch-outs
- Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
- Adding all seasoning early and forgetting to adjust at the end.
- Cooking on heat that is too high once the dish should be steaming or simmering.
How you know it is ready
- The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
- Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
- The final texture should match the dish style before you plate it.
Recipe photos
See the dish before you cook
Each recipe supports one main image and up to four extra prep, serving, or step photos when they are available.
Chef board
Build the table around Mandasi
Tea, coffee, fruit jam, or powdered sugar
Best route from here
Malawi national table
Collections to keep cooking
How to cook it
Step-by-step method
Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.
5 steps
100 min total
easy
2
Rise
Cover dough and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.
Warm coconut milk activates the yeast faster for a better rise.
Rise
60:00
3
Shape
Punch down dough. Pull off golf ball-sized pieces and shape into balls or flatten into small discs.
4
Fry
Heat oil to 170C. Fry mandasi in batches, turning once, until golden brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels.
Do not overcrowd the oil — fry 3-4 at a time for even cooking.
Deep fry
15:00
5
Serve
Serve warm with tea or coffee. Optionally dust with powdered sugar.
Mandasi are best eaten warm and fresh — they lose their puffiness as they cool.
Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.