Kenyan Mandazi

Description
Mandazi, also known as the Swahili Bun or Swahili Coconut Doughnut, is a form of fried dough food/bread that originated on the Swahili Coast. It is one of the principal dishes in the cuisine of the Swahili people who inhabit the African Great Lakes. Wikipedia

Ingredients

 * 1 egg, beaten
 * 1/2 cup sugar
 * 1/2 cup milk
 * 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
 * 2 cups white flour
 * Yeast (as needed)
 * 2 tsp. baking powder
 * oil for deep frying

Directions

 * 1) Bring all ingredients to room temperature before mixing them together.
 * 2) Mix all the ingredients together, adding more flour if necessary. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. Roll the dough on a lightly floured board until it is about 1/4 inch think.
 * 3) .Cut into triangles and fry in hot oil. Fry until both sides are golden brown. Remove mandazi from oil and drain on paper towels or newspaper.

Variations
* Sprinkle some powdered sugar over the hot mandazi. * Put some white sugar into a bag, add a couple mandazi, and shake the bag to cover the mandazi with sugar. * Add about a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, ginger, all-spice, or cardamom to the dough or a combination of these spices to total a 1/2 teaspoon. * Use a circular donut cutter to make mandazi in the shape of traditional donuts. * Substitute pineapple, orange, or lemon juice for the milk. * Add some shredded coconut to the dough. * Add ground peanuts or ground almonds to the dough. * You may substitute 1 teaspoon dry yeast for the 2 teaspoons baking powder. You will want to allow the mandazi to rise before cutting shapes and frying.