While traveling through Belize, at some point or another, you're going to run across a delicacy called fryjacks. Fryjacks (sometimes fry-jack - Belizean Kriol rarely uses an "s" for pluralization) are a popular and addictive Belizean breakfast treat. The best way to describe one would be for you to imagine a croissant mating with a tortilla, whose offspring, in turn, did it with a pancake. The resulting cro-tilla-cake baby would be a fryjack. They are most often served up with beans and/or maple syrup (sometimes honey) and they are utterly fucking delicious. Yep, that's right, they're yummy enough for me to use the fuck word. They're that level of tastiness.
When I returned from Belize I started craving them, so naturally I turned to the web to stir up a recipe. Unfortunately, two internet recipes later, I had some of nastiest fryjacks imaginable. The second version was even worse than the first. My lovely girlfriend, Brooke, made me stop experimenting before I "ruined fryjacks for her." They were more of an oily dense biscuit than a fluffy cloud of tasty goodness. So, I emailed Camille and Jason down at Mamanoot's and begged them until they coughed up Nan's own secret recipe for fryjack.
They're simple to make, vegan, loaded with fat and thus really really frickin' good.
Mamanoot's Fryjack (Fry-Jacks) Recipe
Makes 12 Fryjack (about 4 servings)
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortning
water (I ended up using a little less than 3/4 cup)
oil for frying
Directions:
• Mix the first four ingredients together in a bowl with your hands then start adding water. Maybe 1/4 cup to start with and keep adding as needed to make it into a dough. It shouldn't be too sticky or too dry to make it right mon.
• Now knead the dough until it is soft.
• Break off 6 pieces to form into balls and roll em up.
• Let them sit for 15 minutes.
• Now turn the balls into a tortilla shape and cut them in half.
• With your knife create a slit in each half where you can tear the fryjack in two pieces after frying them.
• Have your hot oil ready. Yes, there should be enough in the pan to let the fry jacks FRY. Maybe about 1 cup of oil.
• Bust em out (once they're golden brown), syrup em up and dip 'em in some refried beans. LORD HAVE MERCY!
There you have it, your new favorite breakfast! Thank you Nan, Camille and Jason of Mamanoot's!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Fryjacked!
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3 comments:
I absolutely condone dropping the F-Bomb in this instance. Being from Belize and growing up in America I still ate fryjack almost daily. I can tell you, there is no better breakfast treat that's filling, delicious and versatile enough to be taken with you wherever you go. I'm so glad to see that there's someone else who loves them as much as I do!
By the way, when you go back to Belize, go to Wendy's in Placencia and order the Stuffed Jack. Beans, scrambled eggs, cheese... all wrapped up in fry jack goodness. You'll drop another F-bomb, I swear! (I'm trying to replicate the recipe as we speak!)
Happy eating!
I went to be Belize I stayed on caye caulker and got one from a place called Rose's. Anyway, it had eggs, slow cooked and very tender chicken, salsa, and cheese. I talk about this to anyone who will ever listen. But I want to try to make this. I have to master the chicken, its slow cooked like you'd find in a mexican place. But the cheese, is there any chance it was goat cheese?
I am a first generation american-Belizean. I think what you have done here is awesome! everyone should taste them they are the best (:
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