Vetkoek

Ingredients

Dough

• 600 gplain flour
• 350 mlwarm water or milk
• 8 ginstant yeast
• 1 tbspsugar
• 1½ tsp salt
• 2 tbspoil

Mince filling

• 500 gminced beef
• 1onion
• 2 clovesgarlic
• 1 tbspcurry powder
• 1 tspturmeric
• 2tomatoes
• 1 tbspchutney
• 1 tbspvinegar
• salt and pepper

To fry

• oil, for deep frying

Or fill with

• apricot jam and butter
• syrup
• grated cheese

To serve

• hot, split and filled

Directions

1. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt, keeping the salt and yeast apart until the liquid goes in. Add the warm water and oil and bring it to a soft dough. Keep it soft and slightly sticky, since a stiff dough gives heavy, dense vetkoek.
2. Knead 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Prove for about an hour until doubled. Now shape them into thick discs. Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll each into a smooth ball. Flatten each slightly into a thick disc, about 2 cm.
3. Keep them thick, since the whole point is a soft bready interior inside a crisp shell. Set them on a floured tray and prove a second time for 20 to 30 minutes. Heat it to 170°C, and no hotter. They are thick, and in hot oil the outside turns deep brown in three minutes while the middle is still raw dough.
4. Use a thermometer if you have one, or test with a scrap of dough. Do not crowd the pan, which drops the temperature and makes them greasy. Fry them for 4 to 5 minutes on each side.
5. Turn them when the underside is deep golden, and give them the full time on both sides. They should be a rich brown and sound hollow when tapped. Break one open to check the first batch. There should be no doughy raw centre, and if there is, drop the oil temperature and give them longer.
6. Drain them on a rack rather than paper. Add the tomatoes, chutney and vinegar and simmer until thick. Cook the mince down until it is thick rather than saucy, since a wet filling makes the vetkoek collapse.
7. Season the mince filling firmly. For the sweet version, simply split the hot vetkoek and fill it with butter and apricot jam. Butter first, so it melts into the hot dough, then jam. Fill it generously and serve it immediately. They must be eaten hot, since they go heavy and greasy as they cool.

Technique

• Magwinya and amagwinya are the closely related fried breads sold across the region.
• Mrs Ball’s chutney is the standard brand in the mince filling.
• They are fundraising food as much as street food.

Substitutions

• Any plain bread dough.
• Any fruit jam in place of apricot.

Variations

• Filled with curried mince.
• Filled with jam and butter.
• Filled with grated cheese and syrup.

History

Afrikaner fried dough, split and filled with mince or jam, sold at Namibian roadside stalls and school fêtes.

Frequently asked questions

What is Vetkoek?

Vetkoek is a street food from Namibia: fried dough cakes filled with mince or jam. Afrikaner fried dough, split and filled with mince or jam, sold at Namibian roadside stalls and school fêtes.

How long does Vetkoek take to make?

Vetkoek takes 20 min plus 1 hr 30 min rising of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 12 vetkoek. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Vetkoek?

Yes, within limits. Any plain bread dough. Any fruit jam in place of apricot.

What is the most important thing to get right in Vetkoek?

Keep them thick, since the whole point is a soft bready interior inside a crisp shell. Set them on a floured tray and prove a second time for 20 to 30 minutes. Heat it to 170°C, and no hotter. They are thick, and in hot oil the outside turns deep brown in three minutes while the middle is still raw dough.