Cameroon – Puff Puff

By Verdzekov Bernard

Puff puff is one of west Africa breakfast delicacy. This is usually eating most at times during breakfast. With tea or pap. In Cameroon, during the rush hour mornings, many people leave their homes hurrying to work without eating at home. On the streets are many breakfast joins, where puff puff and akra is fried. This Puff puff or akra is usually served with either pap or tea depending on the consumers choice. This helps them to be able to catchup with time at their job site rather than if the where to take breakfast at their homes. This has been a common practice and is still practiced till date. Puff puff is not just served with pap or tea, but also with corn-chaff or beans. This is still very tasteful. If not everyone in Cameroon, most people have eating puff puff. I have eating puff puff and I know so well how it is prepared. Puff puff is eating with pepper. That is if you which. Eating puff puff with pepper is common and it is tasteful too. Below, are the ingredients, then the procedure after that. Don’t be scared with the few ingredients. Just follow procedure and you will come out successful. 

Ingredients

• Yeast
• Sugar 
• Oil 
• Flour 
• Salt (optional)

Procedure

• Some people use salt, some use sugar. Some use both. If you are watching your salt intake, a tea spoon of salt is ok.
• Mix salt, sugar, yeast and water. Mix well and keep aside for 10min.
• After 10min add flour and mix well.
• After putting flour inside and mixing, the mixture will have to seat for about 1hr:30min-2hrs.
• During this time, the mixture will rise. This is normal when you dealing with yeast and flour in any preparation.
• When you check your time and is getting to 2hrs, put in oil into your deep saucer pan you will use for frying. Stand heat. Make sure the oil is hot before you start frying.
• How could you taste to see if the oil is hot? You may drop some of the mixed dough into the oil. I could say you should drop water, but that’s risky, thou at times that is what I use. 
• If the oil is hot enough, grab some of the mixture/dough into your palms, fold your hands together and drop that which leaves your folded palms into the oil. This is the only style I know that helps to make your puff puff round in shape. Do like that until the fry pan is almost full. it shouldn’t be too full so that it will take lesser time to get ready and also prevent the absorption of oil. Use a smooth little wood to turn the puff puff in the oil or use the frying spoon. Make sure all corners of the puff puff are golden brown. 
• Some may be brown but not ready inside. So, you may allow it a little bit longer so that it gets brown. With that you are sure it is ready. 
• Using an extraction frying spoon that has holds in it, dish out the puff puff from the very hot oil. This spoon helps to drain the oil back into the pot and leaves just the puff puff in the spoon. Put in a dish that has holes beneath. (a strainer). This strainer will help to permit the oil that drains from the puff puff to the pan beneath the strainer. This oil could be turned back into the pot after frying process is over.
• This process of frying will continue until the mixture/dough is finish from the bowl it was kept in. 
• The puff puff could be served with tea or pap. 
• To prevent the puff puff from being too hard, after it is kept for more than a day, add some water to the mixture and steer well before frying. So that even if after a day of preservation, it shouldn’t be so hard. it could be five table spoons of water, depending on the mixed quantity of your puff puff.

Enjoy…