African Rice Cake (Kitumbua)

I sincerely hope you would share the same passion as me!

The rice cake is called Kitumbua / Vitumbua in Swahili.

The traditional way to make these cakes is by soaking the rice and blitz it to a liquid. But can also be made using finely ground rice flour.

The cakes are cooked with Rice,  Coconut Milk, Sugar, Yeast, and  Cardamom.  Shallow fried in oil.

They are often eaten for breakfast.

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These are the Ingredients you will need for my recipe:
  • 500gm Ground Rice Flour  OR  500gm Rice Grains (soaked overnight)
  • 200gm Sugar
  • 4gm Cardamom Powder
  • 10gm Yeast
  • 400ml Coconut Milk
  • Oil for frying
  • Egg rings or Appams Pan
Step No 1

If using Rice grains – Soak the rice overnight, changing water as often as you can to remove access starch. 

Drain the rice and liquidise in a blender with coconut milk, sugar and cardamom.  Blitz for about 5 minutes.  Then rest the batter for about an hour, to allow the rice grains to soak in the coconut milk. 
Step No 2

Add the yeast to the batter and blitz for a further 8 – 10 minutes until you reach a creamy texture.

If using Ground Rice Flour – Add the rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, yeast and cardamom in a blender and blitz for 5 – 6 minutes, until you reach a creamy texture.

Step No 3

For both methods, pour the batter into a bowl.  Then cover and leave to prove. 

Prove for an hour until the top is frothy and you can see bubbles on top of the batter and has risen double in size.  Give the batter a good stir before frying.
Step No 4

I have fried the rice cakes using two different implements.  First method using egg rings and second with Appams pan.

Step No 5

Heat the oil in a pan.  Pour in the batter.  Fry until golden brown.