Central African Republic

The dish

The Central African Republic’s makara is a common street food. These are small fried dough balls that come with some sort of dipping sauce or are coated in sugar. People eat them for breakfast or as a snack. Fried doughs are common across Central and West Africa but show a distinct French influence from beignets. This version uses coconut, cardamom, and lime to make it something special compared to the other fried dough dishes we’ve made.

What we thought

Pretty consistent scores across the family, with a universal score of 4/5.

Ingredients and directions

Ingredients

Dough

• 1½ cups + 2 tbsp flour
• ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp packed dark brown sugar
• 1½ tsp instant yeast
• ½ tsp fine salt
• ¼ tsp ground cardamom
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup coconut milk
• 1½ tsp melted butter
• Oil for deep-frying
• Coconut-Lime Glaze*
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1½ tbsp coconut milk
• 1½ tsp key lime juice
• ½ tsp lime zest
• 1 tbsp toasted coconut
• Pinch of salt

Directions

Fried Dough

1. Toast the coconut in a dry skillet or toaster oven until browned, taking care not to let it burn. Grind the coconut for the dough in a food processor until it’s close to a powder. A few larger pieces are fine.
2. Mix all the dough ingredients in a bowl. The dough will be thicker than pancake batter but stickier than bread dough. It should be sticky and stretchy, definitely not something you’d want to handle with your hands.
3. Cover tightly and let rise for 1–2 hours.
4. Heat the oil in a deep pan.
5. Fry the dough in batches, using 2 spoons to scoop and shape 1-inch balls into the oil. Cooking time depends on the oil temperature and the size of the balls, but expect about 5 minutes. Turn them occasionally so the fritters brown evenly and cook through the center.
6. Drain on a rack or paper towels.

Glaze

1. Whisk the glaze ingredients together until smooth and glossy.
2. Dip the fritters halfway into the glaze.
3. Let the glaze set for 10 minutes before serving.