Today I was trying to test out a recipe with sweet potato and andagi batter, but when that failed miserably, I figured I could use the rest of the batter to make some mini andagi.
Andagi, which are also known as Okinawan donuts, are deep fried balls of deliciousness that are frequently sold at carnivals and obon festivals here in Hawaii. I found a recipe on the Star Advertiser site, but because of my last experience making malasadas (I found out after I made the dough that it was for 7 dozen malasadas) I decided to cut it down by a lot.
With a quarter recipe and my desire to skimp on oil usage, I figured mini andagi would be better. Plus, my new cooking curse is not being able to regulate oil temperature, so small andagi meant I could better ensure that the middle wasn’t just gooey dough.
I mixed it by hand as directed, but the darned stuff was extremely sticky and it drove me crazy trying to get dough off my hands. In the end I added a little bit more milk, but I think all that did was cause it to burn faster.
I used two small spoons and scooped little lumps into my little pot of oil, worrying that they looked nothing like little round balls. In the end, they puffed into round balls all by themselves. It was pretty cool!
I know the photo makes them look kind of “regular” size, but trust me, they’re little!
You can see it better in this photo. Turned out yummy!