Cookbook:Vitumbua (Coconut Rice Pancakes)

Cookbook | Ingredients | Recipes | African cuisines | Vegetarian Cuisine | Vegan Cuisine

Vitumbua are baked goods commonly found in Tanzania. They are often eaten for breakfast and are found sold in the streets in many places. The ingredients may vary based on taste and availability, however the base ingredient is rice. It can be used in plain form or as flour.

Ingredients

• 2 cups finely-ground rice flour (or plain rice)
• 1 cup coconut milk (or coconut milk powder)
• 1 teaspoon yeast
• ½–1 cup sugar (brown, white, or coconut)
• Oil for frying

Optional ingredients

• 8 tablespoons plain wheat flour (possibly whole wheat)
• 2 egg white
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom seeds
• 2–3 tablespoon coconut flakes
• ½–1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• about ½ cup water if cooking with rice flour and/or coconut milk powder

Procedure

Batter

If plain rice is used:

1. Soak the rice and let it soften for at least 4 hours, maybe over night.
2. Drain the rice.
3. Blend the rice with the other ingredients to a batter.

If rice flour is used:

1. Mix all ingredients, add water so that a rather thick batter forms.

Cooking

1. Let the covered batter rise in a warm place until it at least doubled in size and bubbles form on the surface. This may take about 45;60 minutes, and some advise letting rise overnight.
2. Stir the batter.
3. If you have, you should use a vitumbua pan, otherwise an ordinary pan has to suffice. Oil the pan and heat it.
4. Fill the 'holes' (of the vitumbua pan) about ¾ full with batter. Let it cook for about 2–3 minutes; it should starts to brown. Flip the vitumbua and cook the other side.
5. Let cool slightly.