Kac kac

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 gplain flour
• 100 gsugar
• 80 gbutter, melted
• 1egg
• about 180 ml warm milk
• or warm water
• 1 teaspoonbaking powder
• 1/2 teaspoonsalt
• 1 teaspoonground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoongrated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoonvanilla, optional

To fry

• oil, for deep frying

To finish

• caster sugar, for dusting, optional
• or a thin sugar syrup

Directions

1. Put the flour in a large bowl. Add the sugar and the salt to it. Add the baking powder as well. Add the cardamom and the nutmeg. Whisk them all together thoroughly. Pour in all the melted butter. Rub it through with your fingertips. Work it until it looks like coarse crumbs. It stops the gluten forming long strands.
2. Beat the egg and add it in now. Add the vanilla if you are using it. Add the warm milk a little at a time. Work it together into a firm dough. Stop as soon as it comes together.
3. Add a spoonful more milk if it crumbles. Add flour if it sticks to your hands. Kneading it briefly is enough. Knead it for about five minutes. It should become smooth and even. Wrap the dough and let it rest. Give it at least thirty minutes.
4. Divide the dough into two or three pieces. Roll each out on a floured surface. Take it down to about four millimetres. Thin dough fries crisp right through. Cut the sheet into strips about four centimetres wide. Keep them all to a similar size. Frying them needs the right heat.
5. Pour oil into a deep pan to eight centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat the oil to about 170C for frying. A scrap of dough should sizzle up steadily.
6. Fry them for about four minutes. Turn them over as they colour. They should be an even golden brown. Take one out and let it cool a moment. It should snap cleanly when broken. Adjust the temperature and carry on.
7. Lift them onto a wire rack over a tray. A rack keeps them crisp all round. Let them all cool down completely. Dust them with caster sugar if you like. Or dip them briefly in a thin syrup. Let them cool completely first. Pack them into an airtight tin. Set them out in a bowl for guests. They keep three weeks in a sealed tin.

Technique

• The dough is cut into strips one way and diagonally the other, giving diamonds rather than squares, and that diamond shape is what makes them kac kac.
• They keep for weeks in a sealed tin, which is why they suit Eid and the visiting season: a tin of kac kac means the household is always ready for guests arriving unexpectedly.
• Let them cool completely before storing, since any warmth left creates steam in the tin and softens the whole batch.

Substitutions

• Warm water stands in for milk in the dough.
• They are dusted with sugar in some households and left entirely plain in others.

Variations

• Some households dip them briefly in a thin sugar syrup.
• Cardamom and nutmeg are both used, though proportions vary.
• Somali spiced tea is the usual drink alongside.

History

Made in Djiboutian and Somali homes for Eid and family gatherings, and kept in tins for guests.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kac kac?

Kac kac is a snack from Djibouti: fried dough diamonds, lightly sweet and crisp. Made in Djiboutian and Somali homes for Eid and family gatherings, and kept in tins for guests.

How long does Kac kac take to make?

Kac kac takes 30 minutes plus resting of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 40 pieces. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Kac kac?

Yes, within limits. Warm water stands in for milk in the dough. They are dusted with sugar in some households and left entirely plain in others.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kac kac?

Pour oil into a deep pan to eight centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat the oil to about 170C for frying. A scrap of dough should sizzle up steadily.