eFetling is 73-year-old fantasy-themed theme park In the south of Holland, which, after two consecutive years of visits, has become an intense obsession in my family. We love the mysterious folk horror animated trees, witches, and giant sea monsters lurking within a labyrinthine real forest. We love the anthropomorphic talking boxes that beg (in a haunting, ever-present sing-song) to shove crumpled pieces of paper into their suction-powered mouths. We love innovative rides that, variously, swing along rattling wooden paths, sink cursed pirate ships into the water, or quietly push gondolas through forest scenes of blinking goblins raining down waterfalls.
But our favorite thing about the place might be… poffertjes An always crowded stall where exhausted families pile into elegant paper boats filled with the miniature yeast-puffed, sugar-coated buckwheat pancakes that are a Dutch institution. Prepared to order in a wide, evenly spaced pan, pierced through its light, custardy center with toothpicks and served with a thick swipe of pale butter, it always elicits a sharp, snorting kind of pleasure and shared succour. Poffertjes (pronounced a bit like “poffeh-tyuss”) are the dangling prize for the four of us; A reliable salve for the tense cycle of overstimulation that only themed entertainment environments can provide. When we coaxed the eight-year-old into a haunted house and then promptly collapsed (I imagine this tale will be tearfully described to a psychiatrist one day), the common part of Twelve Warm, Ethereal Candies was the way we chose to apologize and collectively soothe our jangled nerves.
Fast forward a year or so after my first encounter with poffertjes, and I’m back in our kitchen in south-east London, trying to devise a way to make Nigerian fritters without deep frying. This, for the uninitiated, is a completely different snack, one that sounds very similar, but nonetheless delivers a similarly potent dose of fun. Originally West African (also known as son in law), a puff is the satisfyingly puffy and chewy Nigerian version of a sourdough cake that many different food cultures seem to have a beloved version of. Puffy pancakes are sold on roadsides in Lagos, often whipped up to toast births and commemorate deaths. It’s a spongy, glistening, sugared mainstay among the “bite bites” snacks at a lavish Nigerian party. Something my mother rarely leaves the house without primal ingredients. Ask about the oil levels in her car and she can easily point to the giant bottle of Crisp ‘N Dry that has permanent residence in the trunk of her car.
The puff is always deep fried: sticky, airy dough placed in a bowl of oil that is poured generously with a wooden spoon or (if you’re a West African mother) a deft hand. This wouldn’t be suitable for my puff pastry purposes – a cooking demonstration where deep frying wasn’t possible – so I had to think laterally. That’s when I thought of poffertjes, or rather, a hybrid version of puffy pancakes, too delicious to be eaten only at breakfast, or, for that matter, in the hallucinatory wilds of a Dutch park.
Puff pastry
serves 8
4 teaspoons active dried yeast (about 13 grams)
120 grams of granulated sugarPlus 1 tbsp additional
350 ml warm waterOr warm milk for deeper flavour
380 grams of plain flour
½ tablespoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
Neutral oilFor frying
75 grams of powdered sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Whisk the active dried yeast with a tablespoon of granulated sugar and warm water, then leave it aside for 10 minutes, until it fully blooms and becomes foamy.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the plain flour, salt, remaining 120g granulated sugar, ground cardamom and grated nutmeg. Make a well in the middle, then add the foamy yeast mixture, and stir until you get a smooth dough. Cover with a clean, damp tea towel and leave at room temperature for about 45 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size (it should be very wet and tacky).
Put a little neutral oil in a wide non-stick frying pan over medium to high heat, then fry tablespoon-sized balls of the mixture in batches for two to three minutes on each side, until they puff up into plump, golden-brown balls. Set them aside on a large, warm plate while you cook the rest.
Finally, mix the powdered sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle this mixture over the surface of the pancakes using a strainer. Eat as is or with jam, yoghurt, chocolate or chopped seasonal fruit.
Written by Jimmy Famorewa, published by Hodder & Stoughton, priced £20. To order a copy for £18, visit guardianbookshop.com
