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Mabuyu
Candied baobab seeds
Ubuyu: Mombasa baobab seeds candied in red chilli and cardamom syrup
Twist-tied plastic packets of bright red mabuyu hang in every kiosk in Mombasa and Zanzibar, and school children suck on them for hours. Each baobab seed keeps a coat of its own chalky, lemony pulp, and boiling it in sugar syrup with chilli, cardamom and a touch of salt turns that coat into a crunchy, sweet, sour and hot shell. Buy dried baobab seeds with the pulp still on (sold as ubuyu or baobab seed pods at African grocers or online); powder or plain seeds won't work. Suck off the coating and pulp; the hard seed inside is not meant to be chewed and is not safe for small children. Chef's tip: once the seeds are in, keep stirring off the heat until the syrup suddenly turns cloudy and sandy; that is the moment the crust forms.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 9 oz dried baobab seeds with pulpshop-bought, broken into single seeds
- 9 oz sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp chilli flakesor 0.5 tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp red food colouring (optional)or 1 tsp beetroot powder
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Shake 9 oz dried baobab seeds with pulp in a sieve to remove loose powder and pick out any bits of fibre or shell.
Step 2: Put 9 oz sugar and ½ cup water in a wide heavy pan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.
3 minStep 3: Add 1 tsp chilli flakes, ½ tsp ground cardamom, ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp red food colouring and stop stirring. Boil until the syrup is thick and a drop forms a soft ball in cold water (about 250°F on a sugar thermometer). Don't rush this: seeds added to thin syrup end up sticky rather than crusted.
8 minStep 4: Take the pan off the heat and tip in the seeds. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until every seed is coated and the syrup turns cloudy and sandy, then dry and crusty.
5 minStep 5: If some syrup stays wet in the pan, return it to a low heat for a minute and keep stirring until it seizes onto the seeds.
2 minStep 6: Spread the seeds on a tray in one layer and leave to cool and harden completely.
15 minStep 7: Store in an airtight jar for up to a month. Suck on them one at a time.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mabuyu take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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