Keki

Keki, Tongan-style doughnuts that are slightly different from conventional doughnuts, is another sinful treat worth tasting. They're deep-fried dough balls that can be found in bakeries across Nuku'alofa, as well as the Matuku-ae-tau Bakery in Pangai and Lifuka Island in Ha'apai. These deep-fried doughnuts may be found at any bakery across the country. It is a popular dish that all sweet-toothed people enjoy.

Ingredients:

4 cups of plain flour (500 g), 2 teaspoons of active yeast (or 7g sachet), 2/3 cup of sugar, 2 cups of warm water, 1500 g Shortening or vegetable oil for deep frying (8 cm deep)

Instruction:

1. Combine yeast with 1 cup of warm water and 1 teaspoon of the sugar in a large bowl and mix until the yeast has dissolved. Leave for 10 minutes or until frothy.
2. Add remaining water, sugar and flour and stir to mix. It should form a very wet dough and more like a very thick batter. Add a little more water (up to 1/4 cup of water) if it's too dry or add a bit more flour if too runny.
3. Using your hands, mix the flour in well until a smooth batter is formed and coming away from the side of the bowl. Cover and leave to rise until doubled in size (about 1-1&1/2 hr).
4. Release the gas by stirring the mixture and giving it a quick mix using your hand. Then allow the dough to rest for about 20-30 minutes.
5. Begin heating the oil in a large heavy pan (about 15-20mins). Test oil is ready with a small scoop of batter. It should drop to the bottom and rise with a couple of seconds and begin to turn light golden slowly. If it browns quickly (within 30 seconds) it's too hot, turn heat down and retry. Keke should cook slowly (take around 2 minutes for each side to brown golden), but should rise to the top within a couple of seconds otherwise it's not hot enough and will absorb too much oil.
6. Using your hand, scoop up a handful of batter and squeeze out a golf ball size doughnut into the oil (see pictures). Continue until there's a single layer of keki in the oil. Turn with a long fork and allow to cook for around 2 minutes each side until golden brown. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and allow to drain. Test the first keki to ensure it is cooked through and adjust cooking time or heat for the rest.