Hush Puppies

Hush Puppies are fried cornmeal batter which are similar to Nigerian buns, the difference is the absence of cornmeal in Nigerian buns. It is a classic fried dough in southern United States.

They are golden and crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. The toasty smell of cornmeal and frying onions will stimulate any taste bud.Hush puppies are savoury with little or no sugar added and are lovely when served as a side with seafood e.g. fried fish and shellfish. I enjoy hush puppies with pepper soup or akamu (pap). Other delightful ways to enjoy them is with custard, tartar sauce or pepper sauce.

You can add sweet corn kernels, spring onions, ham, bacon bits or suya mix to the batter. These add-ins must be very finely minced.

To make hush puppies:

1/2 cup flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground chilli pepper
1-2 teaspoons sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (optional)
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
vegetable oil for deep frying

To make Hush Puppies

In a large bowl, mix together, flour, cornmeal, salt, baking soda, ground chilli, and sugar.

Add egg, buttermilk, oil and chopped onions. Mix to combine. Do not over mix, just until the dry ingredients have been moistened. Set aside.

Put a plate lined with paper napkins on the side.

Place a deep pot on medium heat. Fill to about 3 inches deep with oil.

When hot, drop in your hush puppy batter in tablespoonfuls. You can use an oiled tablespoon, a dough scoop or your hand.

Fry till they are golden brown, they might flip over on their own or you turn the other side to fry.

Drain on your paper napkin lined plate.

Serve with a dipping sauce and a chilled afterglow mocktail, beetroot juice mocktail, cucumber juice or soda.

Note:

• Make your own buttermilk, here.
• You can use milk in place of buttermilk. In which case, replace 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda with 1 teaspoon baking powder.
• I also add 2 tablespoons oil to my batter because it makes the hush puppies more tender. 
• Do not overmix your batter, over mixing will result in tough hush puppies.