Fried dumpling

Ingredients

Dough

• 400 gplain flour
• 2 teaspoonsbaking powder
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 1 tablespoonsugar
• 50 gbutter or shortening, cold
• about 200 ml cold water

To fry

• neutral oil, for shallow or deep frying

To serve

• ackee and saltfish
• callaloo
• or butter and cheese

Directions

1. Put the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl. Whisk them together so the raising agent is spread evenly. Cut the cold butter into small pieces. Rub it into the flour with your fingertips. Work until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Adding the water needs restraint.
2. Pour in the water a little at a time. Mix it with a fork or with your fingers. Stop as soon as it comes together. Knead it very briefly, for under a minute. It should just come together into a smooth ball.
3. Cover it with a cloth and leave it for fifteen minutes. Divide the dough into ten equal pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball between your palms. Flatten each one gently into a thick disc. Make them about two centimetres thick. Thin dumplings dry out and have no soft middle.
4. Pour oil into a heavy pan to a depth of four centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat the oil up to about 170C. A small piece of dough should sizzle gently.
5. Fry four or five of them at a time. Fry them for about four minutes on the first side. Turn them and fry the other side. They should be deep golden all over.
6. Break one open to check the first batch. The inside should be cooked with no wet dough. Lift them onto a wire rack, not onto paper. Let the oil recover between batches. Serving them is always done hot. Steam should escape when you break one.
7. Serve them with ackee and saltfish for breakfast. They are best within an hour of frying. Warm them briefly in a low oven to revive them.

Technique

• Jamaican dumplings come in several forms, and the name alone does not tell you which is meant.
• Boiled dumplings and spinners belong in soups and stews, while these fried ones are eaten as a bread.

Substitutions

• The butter can be left out entirely, which many Jamaican households do.
• Cornmeal can replace a small part of the flour for a slightly different texture.

Variations

• Festival is a related sweetened elongated fried dumpling served with fish.
• Some cooks add a little cornmeal for a grainier bite.
• A baked version is made in some households for a lighter result.

Frequently asked questions

What is Fried dumpling?

Fried dumpling is a bread & pastry from Jamaica: golden fried flour dumplings, breakfast staple.

How long does Fried dumpling take to make?

Fried dumpling takes 15 minutes plus resting of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 10 dumplings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Fried dumpling?

Yes, within limits. The butter can be left out entirely, which many Jamaican households do. Cornmeal can replace a small part of the flour for a slightly different texture.

What is the most important thing to get right in Fried dumpling?

Pour oil into a heavy pan to a depth of four centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat the oil up to about 170C. A small piece of dough should sizzle gently.