“Puff”! is how that slimy, stretchy, yeasty batter goes when scooped and dropped into a hot, sizzling oil. No wonder my beautiful Nigerian people call it puff-puff! For Westerners, donuts or rain cakes are the closest thing to puff-puff. Puff-puff is an onomatopoeia just like popcorn! Let’s talk a little about the science behind puff-puff. The yeast in the dough produces carbon dioxide gas during proofing, causing the batter to double in size. When even a tiny scoop of that batter is dropped into a hot, sizzling oil, it expands, creating a roundish, crispy, brown exterior and a white, light, and spongy interior. Puff-puff is a typical street food in Nigeria, usually enjoyed with habanero pepper sauce and chilled drinks like Zobo. This Nigerian snack is best served hot for breakfast or on chilly mornings, rainy, cold days, and during the harmattan period. Additionally, they are served at weddings, birthdays, and house parties as “small chops”. Everyone always looks forward to it! It is safe to say that Puff-puff should be considered a winter snack in this part of the world, since it is best served hot. If you're craving some, you can get puff-puff from any of these African stores mentioned in Ambassador Natalie Kokroko’s article, or you can even make your own!
Here is a simple, basic recipe to create and savor this sumptuous goodness!
Ingredients
- 3 cups of All-Purpose Flour or Bread Flour
- Half a cup of Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon of Instant Yeast
- 1 and a half cups of Warm Water
- Half a Teaspoon of Salt
- Quatre cups of powdered Milk (optional)
- Quatre teaspoon of nutmeg
- Onions/ habanero pepper (optional)
- Oil for deep frying
Directions
- Gather all your ingredients
- Add and mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl
- Pour warm water into the mixture to activate the yeast
- Mix very well with a spatula or your hands until the consistency is soft and fluid enough to form soft balls.
- Cover with cling film or a lid and keep in a warm place for an hour to proof the yeast and double the batter’s volume.
- After an hour, mix the risen batter; add extra warm water (if needed), blended pepper and onions at this point if you want it savory, and scoop into small ball sizes into a hot, sizzling pan of oil.
- Scoop with your palm or an oiled spoon into the hot oil and deep-fry on a medium heat pan till golden brown.
- Get them out of the oil when ready and sieve out excess oil in paper towels placed in a colander.
- Serve hot or cold with pepper sauce or enjoy with a chilled drink like zobo or mango lassi.
- For a detailed video on how to make these sumptuous snacks, check out Kikifoodies on YouTube.
Living in Houston and experiencing its myriad cultures has made me realize the convergence of experiences we all share. It is indeed very exciting and interesting to discover that certain foods like Rice, Bread, Zobo, and even Puff-Puff are shared across many cultures! Recently, I was very elated to learn that puff-puff is not just a Nigerian snack, but an African pastry. In fact, some Western countries enjoy these delicious snacks too. They are known for being airy, thanks to leavening agents like yeast or baking powder, slightly sweet, sometimes savory, or both, depending on consumers' taste buds. Adding on, I cannot help but wonder where this international treasure originated. Though I suspect puff-puff to be Rain Cakes, my doubts stem from the eggs used to make them. There are no eggs in the authentic Nigerian puff puff. Raincakes and puff puff sure share a lot in common. Puff-puff makes the world go round! Here is a list of some countries and what they call puff-puff:
- Ghana calls it Bofrot/ Toogbei
- Ivory Coast says Bofloto.
- Cameroun and Senegal call it Beignet.
- Congo calls it Mikate.
- South Africa/ Zimbabwe/Botswana calls it Magwinya/vetkoek/ amagwinya
- Lesotho- Makoenya
- Sudan calls it Ligemat
- Angola – Bolinhos/Micate
- Togo- Botokoin
- Burkina Faso- Burmasa
- Guinea/Mali: Gato
- East Africa: Mandazi
- Liberia: Kala
- Kenya- Kaimatis
- Rwanda- Amandasi
- Mozambique- Fritus or Magwinya
- Turkey: Lokma is a Turkish sweet traditionally handed out for free in memory of loved ones and also shared at weddings.
- Brazil: Bolinho de Chuva
- Dubai: Luqaimat
- Cameroun: Puff-Puff. Cameroonians and Nigerians are neighbors, so no surprises here!
Puff-puff is a testament to how much we all have in common. Who copied from whom, or did we all copy from the same source? Please, if you have something similar in your culture, kindly let me know what it is called. I hope you enjoyed reading about Puff-puff, and please, try out the recipe! You won’t regret it!
About the author:
Osinachi Immaculeta Okafor is from Ebenator Village, Azigbo town, in Nnewi South LGA of Anambra State, Nigeria, and is a current Ph.D student in Art History. She got her B. A in Fine and Applied Art at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria in 2017. Read More.
Further Reading:
Rice Life Unveiled: An African’s Houston Diary