Angola

The dish

Filhós are light, crispy fried dough fritters made with coconut milk and warm spices. They’re used in a lot of Portuguese-influenced countries.

What we thought

These ones have a distinctly Central African flavor with the banana and coconut. 4/5.

Ingredients and directions

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tbl brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¾ cups coconut milk
• 1 egg
• 2 cups vegetable oil (for frying)

To serve

• 2 tbl powdered sugar
• 1 ripe banana, sliced

Directions

1. Mix flour, yeast, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
2. Add coconut milk, vanilla, and egg. Mix until blended.
3. Cover batter and rest for 30 minutes. The batter will be puffed up but extremely sticky.
4. Heat the oil to about 350°F in a frying pan. Test the heat with a small drop of batter. It should sizzle immediately and float to the surface.
5. Drop heaped tablespoons of batter into the oil in batches. Don’t overcrowd. Fry 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden brown, turning once.
6. Drain on paper towels for 1 minute, then dust generously with powdered sugar. Add bananas on top.