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The African Gourmet

The African Gourmet: Explore African Culture & Recipes

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Lokma Fried Sweet Dough Recipe

Lokma Fried Sweet Dough Recipe

Culture and food of Africa would not be complete without including the iconic African street food recipe of Lokma Fried Sweet Dough. Lokma is a fried sweet dough that is covered in syrup. Served as a dessert, lokma is a popular coffee accompaniment.


How to Make Lokma Fried Sweet Dough Recipe


Fried Sweet Dough Recipe

Every region of Africa makes some form of fried sweet dough pastries.
Cost about $1 per serving
Takes about 2 hours
Serves around 10 people

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil for frying

For The Syrup
3 cups of sugar
1 1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Recipe Directions

Preheat vegetable oil. In a measuring cup, add yeast and sugar to warm water. Stir until dissolved. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Add yeast water and stir with an oiled wooden spoon until a dough-like consistency form. Cover and place in a warm area and allow to rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled. Spoon dough by the tablespoon into vegetable oil and allow to cook for about 2 minutes each side, until each side is a golden brown color. Repeat with remaining dough. Drain on paper towels.

[Read Next: African Street Food Fresh Grilled Gingered Corn]

For the syrup
About 20 minutes prior to frying the dough, make the syrup. Mix all ingredients in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved on medium heat. Bring to a boil, then allow to simmer on low for about 10-15 minutes, until it becomes a syrup consistency. Do not stir frequently because the sugar will make the syrup cloudy. Drizzle syrup over the fried dough and serve immediately.

Enjoy your Lokma Fried Sweet Dough Recipe and fall in love with African Food at first bite. Lokma Fried Sweet Dough Recipe is a simple deep-fried sweet dough recipe for you to make for your family or friends.




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She Feeds Africa

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Why "The African Gourmet" if you're an archive?

The name reflects our origin in 2006 as a culinary anthropology project. Over 18 years, we've evolved into a comprehensive digital archive preserving Africa's cultural narratives. "Gourmet" now signifies our curated approach to cultural preservation—each entry carefully selected and contextualized.

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