Vetkoek – A Quick and Easy Recipe

Vetkoek are essentially deep-fried yeast dough buns that can be eaten with anything from apricot jam to curry mince (ground beef) and so can be a meal by itself for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, a snack or even a dessert (like a doughnut without the hole). The word vetkoek literally means “fat cake” in Afrikaans.

The Dutch Voortrekkers began making vetkoek because it was quicker and easier to cook than typical breads. The bread is similar to the Dutch oliebollen, a sweet fried bread containing raisins.  It is similar in taste to Mexican sopapillas which is also a fried pasty dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (500 ml) all purpose baking flour
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) baking soda / powder (or replace the flour and baking powder with self-raising flour)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ t (2 ml) salt
• 1 cup (250 ml) milk
• 2 eggs
• Enough oil for a deep frying pan (should be 12 cm or about 4 to 5 inches deep)

Instruction:

• Sift flour, baking powder and salt together
• Whisk egg, milk, and sugar
• Make a well in the dry ingredients, add milk and egg mixture and mix to a very soft dough. You could add more milk if necessary.
• Heat the oil to between 180 °C and 190°C. Heat the oil slowly so as not to burn it. This also gives the dough a little time to rise.
• Ladle level spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil (12 cm or 4 to 5 inches deep) and bake until brown on both sides, before removing from oil. You can make them larger or smaller (try golf size balls vs. tennis size balls).
• Use a spoon to pour some of the hot oil over the top. Turn over once they are nicely golden on the bottom. Be careful not to burn.
• Use kitchen paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

For a slightly lighter recipe, you can try this one that does not have milk or eggs and uses yeast (allow the dough to rise) instead of baking powder. 

Vetkoek are very versatile and can be served sweet or savory – try plain, with butter, with mince curry (curried ground beef as pictured below), grated cheese, syrup, honey, or apricot or other fruit jams.