Sata Andagi – Who doesn’t like doughnuts?
This week I opted for an easier dish – sata andagi. It’s been a rather long week and I needed a combination of something comforting and easy. With only requiring a handful of ingredients, sata andagi was the perfect dish. And who doesn’t like a little fried food when feeling a bit stressed.
So, what is sata andagi? It’s an Okinawan doughnut. In Okinawan, sata = sugar and andagi = deep fried (anda = oil). Doesn’t that sound delicious? I mean who doesn’t like fried, sugary goodness? I don’t know much about Okinawan cuisine, but from what I know it’s a combination of Chinese and Japanese techniques, as well as some American influences.
This fried, sugary goodness requires combining cake flour, sugar, egg, baking powder, and oil. You’ll not only need oil for frying the dough, but you’ll also need to add oil to the batter and to rub some on your hands as your form it into a ball. Once the oil is at the right temp and the batter is ready, rub some oil on your hands. Then, use a spoon to scoop some batter and roll it into a ball before dropping it in the oil.
My favorite part is frying the dough. The trademark for sata andagi are the cracks that form on the outside. The cracks are supposed to resemble a smile. Interestingly, I seem to get a smile on my face when the cracks start to form. I don’t know if that happens because I can’t wait to eat them or if I’m just a bit strange. My other favorite part is watching them flip on their own in the oil. I’m like a little kid, watching and trying to figure out which one is going to flip on their own first. Yea, I’m a bit of a dork. Once they’re done, put them on a plate with a paper towel to absorb the extra oil and wait for them to cool down a bit. I highly recommend eating them on that day or when their a bit warm. Fried, sugary goodness. I can’t repeat that enough.
So, my last batch was yummy, but it was a bit dry. I don’t know if I over mixed it or if I over cooked them. Thoughts from those who have made this before? Was it a combination of both over mixing and over cooking or just over cooking? Any advice?