What is Puff Puff?
Most West African countries are familiar with the popular street food Puff Puff, which is known by different names depending on the country. Ghanaians call it Bofrot (togbei), Cameroonians and Nigerians call it Puff Puff (Puff) or beignet in French. The basic ingredient consist of: flour, sugar, yeast, water, salt and oil for deep frying.
Ingredients:
For about 25 balls of Puff Puff, the size in the photo above, you will need:
2 cups (250g) of Plain Flour
2 teaspoons of yeast (the one used in baking bread)
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup granulated sugar (or to your taste)
3 pinches of salt
Lukewarm water (for mixing)
Vegetable Oil (for frying)
How To Make Puff Puff ? :
Mix salt, sugar, water, nutmeg and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes.
Add flour and mix.
Let the mixture rise for approximately 1- 2 hours
In a large, sauce pan, pour vegetable oil into a pot, until it is at least 3 inches (or about 5 centimeters) high (too little will result in flatter balls) and place on low heat.
Test to make sure the oil is hot enough by putting a ‘drop’ of batter into the oil. If it is not hot enough, the batter will stay at the bottom of the pot rather than rising to the top.
Using your hands grab a little bit of mixture at time and drop in the oil.
When the oil is hot enough, use a spoon to dish up the batter and another spoon or spatula to drop it in the oil, sort of in the shape of a ball.
Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is golden brown.
Turn the ball over and fry for a few more minutes until the other side is golden brown.
Use a large spoon or something like that to take it out of the oil. I usually place them on napkins right away to soak up some of the excess oil.
If desired, you can roll the finished product in table sugar or powdered sugar to make it sweeter.
Enjoy your delicious puff puff with any chilled soft drink, yogurt etc of your choice…😊
Tips and Tricks in making Puff Puff:
Soft puff puff: For a softer puff puff, add about 1-2 tablespoons more water. Some people find it a little bit hard after it stays out.
Crunchy not soggy: Do not over crowd the frying pan, it will absorb excess oil and sometimes make it soggy.
Hold the salt: You may cut back on the salt, if you are watching your salt intake, about 1 teaspoon salt will do.
Preheat the stove: If your house is too cold, turn on the stove for about 2-3 minutes until warm . Then turn it off and let the puff puff rise next to it. Or heat up the oven, turnit off when hot, and wait until it cools down. You want it warm but not hot, then let it rise in the oven. Check after 30 minutes to ensure it’s rising.