Vetkoek
South African vetkoek, aka fat cake, is crispy outside and warm and fluffy inside. Fill them with curry minced meat for a savory snack. For the sweeter side, enjoy them with apricot jam and cheese.
Have you been cutting back on calories? Well, it’s time to take a break and try out this iconic South African street food, vetkoek, also known as fat cake. Vetkoek, in a nutshell, is a deep-fried yeast bun that is served as a snack, for breakfast, or lunch.
When the New Year’s resolutions from January are but a memory, it’s safe to go back to fried foods, right? Are we cool? Ok, thanks for putting up with my crazy food obsessions. I so hope you are enjoying them too!
What Is Vetkoek?
This basic 3-ingredient recipe for fried bread is a little lighter than my hometown African fried dough, but it holds its own when filled with minced meat. The simple mixture is made with cake flour, yeast, and a little sugar to make the yeast and me happy. I don’t count water and salt because that’s a given.
Why cake flour for making bread? Glad you asked. The lower protein content gives it a more tender crumb and less chew. That means the filling is more likely to stay in the sandwich instead of ending up on the plate and making a mess.
Whew! I am so glad this came out right after just two tries. If not, I would have been stuffing myself with it and having buyer’s remorse after the deed is done. I do that a lot around here.
I give myself the liberty to indulge on weekends (when I am developing recipes). On weekdays, for the most part, I fairly stick to a healthy diet, mostly comprising of quick and easy salmon recipes. I eat it at least 2-3 times a week, coupled with a salad, in between other reduced-calorie meals. So when the weekend rolls around, I am famished and ready to go at it.
How to Make Vetkoek
The Sandwich Buns
- Mix the salt, sugar, yeast, and water. Set aside for 5 minutes so the yeast activates. Add flour, then mix the dough until everything comes together. (Photo 1)
- Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1-2 hours or until doubled. (Photo 2)
- Knead the dough until firm, adding flour as needed. Roll out dough to 1-inch thick, cut into desired shapes, or use a 3-inch or larger cookie cutter to cut dough into circles. (Photo 3)
- Heat at least 3 inches (7-8cm) of vegetable oil on medium heat until it’s 350℉ (180℃).
- Fry until golden brown, 3-5 minutes depending on size. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Let them cool. (Photo 4)
- Serve warm, filled with a serving of curry mince meat.
The Curry Filling
- Sauté the onions, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and paprika for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. (Photo 5)
- Add the tomatoes, and continue cooking for about 3 minutes. Then add the potatoes, minced meat, cayenne pepper, and white pepper, and mix until thoroughly combined. Simmer until potatoes are tender. Add the peas and carrots, cook for another minute or two, add parsley, and adjust the seasoning to taste. (Photos 6-8)
Tips and Notes
- How long it takes for the dough to rise will depend on the weather or the kitchen temperature. To speed up rising, fill a bowl with warm water, then put it on the bottom of the oven (not turned on), and put the bowl of dough on the top shelf. The heat and humidity will make the dough rise faster.
- For a healthier version (aka not fried), brush the formed buns with oil, and bake in a preheated 400℉ (205℃) oven. And you can totally cook these in a preheated air fryer.
- You know, I thought about making it sweet instead of savory, then decided against it. If you want to serve it with apricot jam and cheese, simply add ¼ cup of sugar. Enjoy!!
Making it Ahead
Keep the dough in the fridge for a day or two, and it will rise much more slowly. Then, when you’re ready to fry the bread, all you need to do is warm it up and proceed with the kneading and rolling instructions.
Reheat fried vetkoek in an oven or air fryer so it doesn’t get too oily. And the curry meat filling is even better the next day. The bread and filling both freeze well, so don’t feel you have to eat it all at once.
More Satisfying Sandwich Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in February 2015 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Vetkoek
Ingredients
Vetkoek
- 2 teaspoons (12g) salt
- 2-3 tablespoons (24-35g) sugar
- 1 ¼-ounce packet yeast (2¼ teaspoons or 7 grams)
- 2 cups (472g) lukewarm water
- 5½ cups (660g) cake flour (more as needed)
Minced Curry
- 2 tablespoons (30g) canola oil
- 1 whole onion, sliced
- 1½ teaspoon (8g) minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon (1-2g) ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons (5g) curry powder
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) paprika
- 2-3 tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cups (485g) diced potatoes
- 1 pound (450g) minced meat (or ground beef)
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) white pepper
- ½ teaspoon (2-3g) hot sauce or cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 cup (128g) frozen peas and carrots (see notes)
- 2-3 tablespoons (8-12g) chopped parsley or cilantro
- salt to taste
Instructions
Vetkoek
- In a large bowl, mix the salt, sugar, yeast, and water. Set aside for 5 minutes so the yeast activates. Add flour, then mix the dough until everything comes together.
- Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1-2 hours or until doubled.
- Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1-2 hours or until doubled.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface, flatten to knock out air bubbles, and knead until firm, adding flour as needed.
- Roll out dough to 1-inch thick, cut into desired shapes, or use a 3-inch or larger cookie cutter to cut dough into circles.
- In a large saucepan, heat at least 3 inches (7-8cm) of vegetable oil on medium heat until it’s 350℉ (180℃).
- Fry until golden brown, 3-5 minutes depending on size. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Let them cool.
- Split in half and serve warm, filled with a serving of curry mince meat.
Curried Meat Filling
- In a medium-large skillet, heat oil, then saute the onions, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and paprika for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Add the tomatoes, and continue cooking for about 3 minutes. Then add the potatoes, minced meat, cayenne pepper, and white pepper, and mix until thoroughly combined. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Finally, throw in the peas and carrots, cook for another minute or two, add parsley, and adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool. You can prepare this a day in advance, and it tastes even better.
Tips & Notes:
- If the yeast isn’t bubbly after 5 minutes, it may have expired. It’s better to get fresh yeast and start again.
- Frozen peas and carrots have already been blanched. If using fresh vegetables, you’ll want to add them with the potatoes so they have time to cook.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Oh my goodness!!!! Thank you so much for this recipe. I live in the US now and haven’t had these since I was a kid in South Africa. I’ve never made them myself. This recipe was absolutely amazing! The recipe was easy to follow and even though it was my first attempt, it couldn’t have been even more perfect!
Took me right back to my grandmother’s kitchen table!
Thank you so much!
That is awesome!! I’m so glad you loved them. It’s beautiful to be able to eat foods from our childhood:)
Made 14 75mm cookie cutter. Puffed up very quickly
Had to pop them in my air-fryer at 150 for three minutes to cook the centres
Delicious before the rugger
Great! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking time out to share your thoughts with us.
These were delicious! Everything I was hoping for and more! Our whole family enjoyed! We are adding them into our dinner rotation and planning on bringing to the next family get together! Thank you so much for sharing!
Aww, Its soo good to hear such warming comments:) Always try to bring happiness to the dining table, stay tuned and enjoy more amazing recipes 🙂
I loved this recipe so much and many of your other recipes! This site honestly my favourite go to place for any cooking occasion!
Aww, thank you so much! You made my day and actually, your words are genuinely a reward for my all efforts. Much love
Fantastic! I used this recipe to make vetkoek for the very first time and they turned out amazing! I will definitely use this recipe again
Thank you, Megan, for taking the time to comment. Glad it turned out amazing for you.
I am a South-African living in the US. And my favorite thing to make is vetkoeke and homemade bread. Thank you for a great recipe.
My pleasure, Thank you so much for your love and support 🙂
This recipe looks amazing! I certainly want to make it at some point! I’m curious though, could you make the vetkoeks in an air fryer instead??
You can. However, it would not be as crisp.
Please let us know how it works out for you, if you do try it out.
Everything was just wow. My family loved every bite. Thank you so much.
Glad to know your family loved this. Thanks for trying, Gratian! 🙂
This is the best recipe I have seen and thank you mmmmmm my family will enjoy this.
Thank you, Phanuel! 🙂
I have been looking for a vetkoek recipe for ages this one sounds great. I will give it a try.
Thank you, Jill! Share with us how it goes. Enjoy! 🙂
Live verkoek and curry mince
For the first time I made fat cakes and they were perfect! Thank you so much!
WOOHOO! Thanks so much.
I made the vetkoek absolutely the Best
Glad you loved them, Charmaine 🙂 !
Tried this for supper tonight and it was absolutely delicious, the whole family loved it. I grew up eating vetkoek or amagwinya as we call them in isiZulu but had never tried making them before because I usually buy them. So glad I found your page when I couldn’t get hold of my mom to get the recipe. My first attempt was a great success and I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes thank you!
So happy to hear that! And I’m glad to have you here.