DISH RESEARCH · Dish
Mahamri
Mildly sweet Swahili-coast fried bread, scented with coconut milk and cardamom and puffed around a hollow centre.
About Mahamri
Mahamri are coconut-milk fried breads from the Swahili coast of East Africa, especially associated with Kenya and Tanzania. This profile follows Zaynab Issa's yeast-raised version, using coconut milk and cardamom as its defining flavours.
Coconut milk gives the dough a mellow richness, cardamom adds a warm perfume, and a modest amount of sugar keeps it gently sweet. Butter rounds the flavour while frying creates a savoury golden edge.
The breads are cut into triangles and fry to a deep golden brown. Their surface is crisp and lightly blistered, while the inside is fluffy, springy and characteristically hollow.
Allergens in this recipe
Contains: Wheat (gluten), Milk.
Other allergen details are unconfirmed.
Ingredients vary by restaurant. Confirm your allergens with staff before ordering.
Ingredients in Mahamri
Zaynab Issa's coconut-milk and cardamom Mahamri.
- Instant yeastLeavening
- Ground cardamomWarm fragrance
- Wheat flourDough structure
- SugarGentle sweetness
- Coconut milkCoconut richness
- Unsalted butterEnrichment
- WaterDough hydration
- Vegetable oilDeep-frying medium
Ingredient details & uncertainties
Allergen information is incomplete. Unconfirmed details do not establish that an allergen is absent.
- Instant yeast:
- Ground cardamom:
- Wheat flour:
- Sugar:
- Coconut milk:
- Unsalted butter:
- Water:
- Vegetable oil:
Origins & food traditions
The selected source places the fried bread on the Swahili coast of East Africa and explains that coconut-milk mandazi are commonly called Mahamri or Mamri; a Swahili-food author corroborates their ubiquity in Mombasa and breakfast service there.
Cuisines & regions
- Swahili Cuisine
- East African Cuisine
- Kenyan Swahili Coastal CuisineCatalogue link pending review
- Zanzibari Swahili CuisineCatalogue link pending review