Jamaican Fried Dumplings
This Jamaican Fried Dumpling recipe is the perfect side to enjoy for breakfast or lunch. Brunch will be ten times better with these fried dough balls paired with Jamaican Ackee and Saltfish.
Jamaican fried dumplings have been something I have wanted to share with you guys for some time now.
However, I am not very good at making dough.
Flour dough is tough for me to make because I either make the dough too hard or too soft (wetty wetty).
Either way, it’s not malleable to use for a recipe.
Now, I think I’ve come a long way because I haven’t given up, and here I can share one of Jamaica’s most famous recipes.
I’ve visited a few places in the Cayman Islands, and I must admit it’s not the same as back home when you order it.
The fried dumplings here are more airy and hollow, like a samosa without the filling.
Not to say that they aren’t great. They certainly make great appetizers to open my appetite.
But since I’m used to getting fluffy, dense fried dough when I order fried dumplings, it makes me realize that each Caribbean country has a unique way of cooking.
Why You Should Make This Recipe?
- Easy To Make – with only a few ingredients from your pantry, this recipe can be ready in a few minutes.
- Fun For Kids – this is a great way to teach your kids how to cook as they have fun in the kitchen.
- Perfect Side Dish – these dumplings pair well with many dishes, especially with lots of gravy.
What is Fried Dumpling?
Fried dumplings are a type of fried dough made of all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and water.
As we evolved with this recipe, others may use butter/margarine and sugar to enhance the flavor and texture.
The dough is often shallow or deep fried until golden brown on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
Though we called these fried dumplings, older folks in the Caribbean may remember them as Johnny Cakes, which isn’t as the American dish hoecakes.
Did You Know? Jamaicans are known for their unique language, Patois (pat-wah), and, in our native language, we would say ‘fry dumpling’ instead of ‘fried’ dumpling.
Ingredients To Use
The ingredients listed below are the common denominators for any fried dumpling recipe.
I remember when my mom would make these for breakfast on Saturday mornings, she would serve it fried saltfish (codfish).
- Flour – I used all-purpose flour, but for a gluten-free version, you can try gluten-free flour.
- Baking Soda – this helps to make a fluffy dough
- Baking Powder – makes for a light, fluffy dough when frying.
- Butter – improves the color of the dough when frying
- Salt – brings out the flavor of your dough
- Sugar – an optional ingredient to use as the sugar makes for a sweeter dough.
How To Make Fried Dumplings
I’ve been working on this recipe for some time, as I wanted to make sure the steps to make a great dough are perfect.
When I first started my trials and errors, I didn’t always use butter, but I found it does make a difference in the texture of the dough when fried.
Steps:
- Add flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and sugar to a large bowl. Mix to combine.
- Add butter to the flour mixture. Gradually add water to the flour mixture. Using a spoon, mix flour and water until it come together.
- Using your hand, knead flour until it becomes a soft dough. The dough should bounce back when you press into it.
- Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.
- While the dough is resting, add oil to a medium-sized pot on medium-high heat.
- Once your oil is hot enough, begin pinching off pieces of dough and roll into balls.
- Drop each dough ball in the hot oil and fry golden brown.
- Drain on a paper towel.
- Serve with desired sides.
Notes: If you are like me and don’t have the option to deep-fry your dumplings, you can always shallow-fry them like I do.
Serving Suggestions
Jamaican fried dumplings are served for breakfast and pair well with the country’s National dish, Ackee and Saltfish.
But you can always enjoy them with some scrambled eggs.
Other suggestions:
- Salt mackerel
- Calaloo/ Calaloo and saltfish
- Mackerel
- Saltfish and Tomato
- Curry Chicken
Tips For Making Jamaican Fried Dumplings
Here are some tips to ensure you make the best Jamaican fried dumplings:
- Do not over-knead your dough. You want soft and fluffy dumplings when you’re through.
- Feel free to omit baking soda, as the baking powder can do the same.
- For a gluten-free version of this recipe, you can swap out the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free one.
- Some recipes may add butter to their recipe to help with the texture of their dumplings. For this recipe, you can add 1 tsp butter, softened.
- If your dough is too wet, then add more flour.
Storage Tips
In all fairness, these fried dumplings don’t last a day in my house.
And when reheating, especially in a microwave, the texture will change.
Store leftover dumplings in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Wrap in foil paper and reheat in the oven for a few minutes.
Other Jamaican Breakfast:
Thanks for being here and I hope you enjoyed the recipe and content.
Comment below if you made this recipe. You can also take a photo and tag me on Instagram @theshyfoodblogger and hashtag #theshyfoodblogger.
Connect and follow me for more content and recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok.
~ TheShyFoodBlogger
Jamaican Fried Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp butter softened
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1 cup water
- ½ tbsp brown sugar optional
Instructions
- Add flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and sugar to a large bowl. Mix to combine.
- Add butter to the flour mixture. Gradually add water to the flour mixture. Using a spoon, mix flour and water until it come together.
- Using your hand, knead flour until it becomes a soft dough. The dough should bounce back when you press into it.
- Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.
- While the dough is resting, add oil to a medium-sized pot on medium-high heat.
- Once your oil is hot enough, begin pinching off pieces of dough and roll into balls.
- Drop each dough ball in the hot oil and fry golden brown. Be Careful when handling hot oil.
- Drain on a paper towel.
- Serve with desired sides.
Notes
Notes For Making Fried Dumplings
- Do not over-knead your dough. You want soft and fluffy dumplings when you’re through.
- Some recipes may add butter to their recipe to help with the texture of their dumplings. For this recipe, you can add 1 tsp butter, softened.
- If your dough is too wet, then add more flour.
- Learn more tips and tricks above to make the best fried dumplings.
