Keke ʻIsite (Tongan Yeast Doughnuts)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 5-quart Dutch oven or deep heavy pot
• •Clip-on deep-fry thermometer
• •Wire cooling rack set over a tray
• •Two oiled spoons for spooned keke

Instructions

1. 1

   Wake the yeast

   Stir the yeast into the warm water with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and let it sit 5 to 10 minutes, until the top looks creamy and alive. If it stays flat, don't push forward. The dough can't rise on dead yeast, no blame the flour.

2. 2

   Mix the dough

   In a wide bowl, whisk the flour, remaining sugar, salt, and nutmeg if you're using it. Make a well, then add the yeast mixture, milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir until it comes together as a soft, sticky dough, closer to a heavy batter than a bread dough.

3. 3

   Knead it soft

   Work the dough in the bowl or on a lightly floured bench for 6 to 8 minutes, just until it turns smooth and stretchy but still tacky. Don't bury it in flour. Keke ʻisite wants a soft hand, so the inside fries up tender instead of tight.

   Oil your hands instead of adding too much flour. That keeps the dough easy to handle without making the finished keke heavy.
4. 4

   Let it rise

   Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until doubled and puffed. It should smell sweet and yeasty, with a little give when you press it. The wait is doing the work.

5. 5

   Shape the keke

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it about 1/2 inch thick, then cut rounds, squares, or small hand-torn pieces. For the more home-style spooned version, keep the dough in the bowl and use two oiled spoons to drop mounds straight into the oil.

6. 6

   Heat the oil

   Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 350F. Drop in one small piece first. It should bubble steadily and rise, not sink heavy or brown too fast. Keep the heat steady, because sugar dough burns before the middle has time to cook.

7. 7

   Fry golden

   Fry 4 or 5 pieces at a time, turning once or twice, until deep golden brown and swollen, about 2 to 3 minutes per side depending on size. The outside should look even and glossy from the oil, and the doughnut should feel light when lifted, not leaden.

8. 8

   Sugar and share

   Drain the hot keke on a rack or paper, then toss while still warm in granulated sugar. Serve in a heap, not precious, with tea or Milo. This is celebration food, comfort food, church-table food, and the right amount is always a little more than you think.

Chef Tips

• •Keep the dough soft. Too much flour makes handsome dough but tough keke, and nobody asked for handsome if it eats dry.
• •Oil temperature is the whole frying lesson. Too cool and the dough drinks oil; too hot and the outside browns before the middle cooks. Hold it near 350F and fry in small batches.
• •Evaporated milk gives that church-table richness many island kitchens know well. Coconut milk works too, especially if that's what you have. Eat what you have.
• •These are best warm, but leftovers are still good with tea the next morning. Split and toast them lightly if they go soft.

Advance Preparation

• •Mix the dough the night before with cool water, cover tightly, and let it rise slowly in the refrigerator. Bring it toward room temperature for 45 minutes before shaping and frying.
• •Cut or portion the dough up to 20 minutes before frying and keep it covered so the surface doesn't dry out.
• •Fried keke are best the day they are made. If you need to hold them, keep them uncovered at room temperature for a few hours and sugar them close to serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 70g)