Dhonkeyo Kajuru

Ingredients

Batter

• 6very ripe bananas
• 200 grice flour
• 100 gfresh coconut, finely grated
• or 80 g desiccated coconut
• 80 gsugar
• 1/2 teaspoonsalt
• 1/2 teaspoonground cardamom
• about 80 ml water

Sometimes added

• 50 gplain flour, for binding
• 1/4 teaspoonbaking powder
• a pinch of grated nutmeg

To fry

• oil, for deep frying

To serve

• black tea
• or Maldivian tea with milk

Directions

1. Soak it in warm water for ten minutes first. Dry coconut makes a dry crumbly fritter. Crack a mature brown coconut open. Peel off the brown skin with a peeler. Grate the white flesh very finely.
2. Peel the bananas and put them in a bowl. Mash them thoroughly with a fork. Mash them smoother than for a banana fritter. This mixture should be fairly uniform. Add the grated coconut and mix it through. Add the sugar, salt and cardamom. Adding the flour needs a light hand.
3. Add the rice flour in gradually. Mix it in with a wooden spoon. Add the water a little at a time. Stop as soon as it comes together. Add more rice flour if it seems loose.
4. Add a splash of water if it is very stiff. Wet your hands with cold water. Take a spoonful of the mixture. Roll it into a short thick finger. Aim for about six centimetres long.
5. Set them out on a tray as you go. Frying them needs the right heat. Pour oil into a deep pan to seven centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil.
6. Heat the oil to about 170C for frying. A small piece should sizzle up at once. Fry them for about four minutes. Turn them over as they colour. They should be deep golden all over.
7. Break one open from the first batch. The inside should be cooked and soft. Lift them onto kitchen paper to drain. Serving them is done properly warm.

Technique

• Maldivian tea-time food is called hedhika, a whole category of small fried snacks laid out on trays at tea shops for customers to take.
• Rice flour contains no gluten and fries harder than wheat flour, which gives the fritters their crisp outside and slightly sandy texture.
• The mixture should be firm enough to roll in the hands rather than a pourable batter.

Substitutions

• Desiccated coconut soaked in warm water stands in for fresh grated coconut.
• A little wheat flour can be added to help the mixture bind.

Variations

• Some cooks shape them into balls and others into short fingers.
• A version with a pinch of nutmeg alongside the cardamom is made.
• Bondibai and other sweet hedhika are laid out alongside them.

History

A Maldivian tea-time sweet and a Ramadan favourite, fried in batches for the evening iftar table.

Frequently asked questions

What is Dhonkeyo Kajuru?

Dhonkeyo Kajuru is a dessert from Maldives: ripe banana mashed with rice flour and coconut, then deep-fried into golden fritters. A Maldivian tea-time sweet and a Ramadan favourite, fried in batches for the evening iftar table.

How long does Dhonkeyo Kajuru take to make?

Dhonkeyo Kajuru takes 20 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 20 fritters. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Dhonkeyo Kajuru?

Yes, within limits. Desiccated coconut soaked in warm water stands in for fresh grated coconut. A little wheat flour can be added to help the mixture bind.

What is the most important thing to get right in Dhonkeyo Kajuru?

Set them out on a tray as you go. Frying them needs the right heat. Pour oil into a deep pan to seven centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil.