Cow Leg Nkwobi

Puff Puff - LaBelle's Special

All You Need!!

3 cups of self-raising flour

1/4 cup sugar (you can add more if you want but I like mine with less sugar) 

1 medium nutmeg (grated)

I sachet fast action dried yeast or I tablespoon dried yeast

Pinch of salt

450 ml  or 2 cups of warm water (measure out 3 tablespoons from the 2 cups. i.e. 2 cups minus 3 tablespoons to get the perfect water measurement)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (optional)

Frying Oil for deep frying (its deep frying, so we need a lot)

Steps

• Add all dry ingredients into a bowl {flour, nutmeg, yeast, sugar and salt}, set aside.Pour the measured water into a jug, add the vanilla extract and stir together.

• Pour into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix with you hand until well combined (to ensure that your puff puff dough is perfect; write 8 on the dough using the dough; if it doesn't disappear immediately, then you are so on point but if it does, please add little flour}

• Cover the bowl with a foil/cling film and cover again with a tea towel. Put in a warm place, I usually put mine in the oven {please do not turn it on oo!!!!!}. Leave it in there for at least 30 - 40 minutes that is, if you are in a rush. You can leave it as long as you want.

dough after an hour

• In a wok/pot, add frying oil just a little above half of the wok/pot. Turn on the heat and allow to get hot (just like when you want to fry plantain/chin-chin/fish...) 

• While the oil is heating up, bring out all you would need to stir and bring out the puff puff. 

sieve lined with kitchen tissue

• Once the oil is heated, drop a sample in {I use my hand/fingers always}; just to see it the oil is hot enough. If the oil is not ready yet, please allow few more seconds but if it is, drop few more {don't drop too much in because it is going to suck oil}.

frying first batch

• Fry until brown {turn them time and again so they brown evenly}. Turn down the heat or turn it off and drop in another batch, once they are all risen, turn up the heat. Repeat for the remaining puff dough. 

Enjoy with a class of milk/wine/juice, anything really!!

**I will try and make a very short video on how you can use you hand/finger to drop in the puff puff dough and get that perfect shape...**

Lemon Pound cake

What You Would Need!!

• 160 g of butter at room temperature

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup of natural yogurt (fat free preferable and removed from fridge at least 30 minutes before using)

• 1 cup of granulated sugar (you can use half cup if you don't like much sugar)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon flavour

• 1/4 cup of milk

• 2 cups of plain flour

• 5 large eggs at room temperature

• 1 medium lemon (juiced and 1 tablespoon zest)

• 1 small nutmeg (1/2 teaspoon)

Procedures

Step 1: With the aid of a sifter, sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg) into a bowl and set aside.

Step 2: Grease the cake pan and dust with flour. Also pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius

Step 3: Put the butter, sugar, zest and yogurt into a mixer or bowl {if you are using hand mixer}, mix until fluffy; mix on a high speed.

Step 4: Crack in the eggs, one at a time...mix for about a minute before adding next. Then add the vanilla extract and mix.

Step 5: Add the lemon and flour in batches; reduce the speed to the lowest and mixed. Once the flour is combined (doesn't have to be perfect), then stop! **The reason we don't want to mix on a high speed is because we don't want to overwork the batter.**

Step 6: At this point, add the milk and mix with a spatula until combined.

Step 7: Pour batter into the greased cake pan and bake for approximately 50 minutes or until golden brown.

** To check that the cake is probably bakes; insert a wooden skewer into the cake, if it comes out clean without any crumbs, then its perfect; if otherwise, please put back into the oven.**

NB: Please do not open the oven while the cake is baking, if you do so it would affect the cake causing it not to rise properly or if its risen it would flat out (I hope this makes sense)...

Step 8: Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool for about 20 minutes before transferring onto your serving tray.

In a small bowl, add 3 tablespoons icing sugar + 1 teaspoon milk, mix together and drizzle on the cake.