top of page
Simply-Recipes-Guyanese-Pholourie-LEAD-02-0557b9382242484ea75f46b9a552481b.webp
Pholourie

Food and Guyana

Guyana's rich culture has led to a wide variety in foods. Many different Indigenous, Black, and Indian foods make up the cuisine. On the left, you can see  pholourie, a savory split pea fritter that originated from Indian people in the Caribbean. I decided to bake Guyanese mithai*, a sweet snack food.

Mithai 

Instructions​

1. Mix flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and salt in a large bow. Add shortening and rub into dough. Next, add milk then knead to form stiff dough.  Set aside for half an hour.

2. Roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness, then using a knife or pizza cutter, cut into thin strips.

3. In a heavy bottom saucepan add enough oil to deep fry, then place on medium heat.

4. When oil is hot (so that bubbles form around dough), add strips of dough and fry until golden brown and crispy.

5. Fry slowly so that the dough cooks all the way through and dries out in the middle. Remove from the oil and drain on a plate covered with paper towel.

6. Place water, sugar, ginger and cinnamon in a heavy bottom sauce pot over medium heat. Using a candy thermometer cook until it reaches 225-235 degrees. (until sugar crystals form on the side of the pot.)

7. Add ½ tsp vanilla and stir quickly. Place the fried dough in a large metallic bowl.

8. Pour syrup over and stir to coat. Allow the sugar to set, stirring occasionally to prevent the Mithai from sticking to each other. Enjoy!

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 3 cups all purpose flour

  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon

  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg

  • 2 tbsp sugar

  • pinch of salt

  • 2 tbsp shortening

  • about 1 cup milk

For the syrup:

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 inch piece thinly sliced ginger

  • 1 stick cinnamon

  • ½ tsp pure vanilla extract​​​​​

Copy-of-Copy-of-easy-ways-toupgradeyour-kitchen-on-a-budget-1-2.png
Mithai

My Experience

​​​​​​​

Making this sweet treat was surprisingly simple. It came together in about 2 hours with simple ingredients. Despite this simplicity, they are full of flavor and just the right amount of sweetness. The crispy exterior provides a nice crunch that is balanced by the soft interior. This is a must-try dessert.  

*Mithai is a broader range of Indian sweets, but Guyanese MIthai is a specific dish. It comes in hard and soft varieties

bottom of page