Ramadan Treats: Patties

'You could just use a fork to press the patties closed, but twisting the dough intricately like this, it's almost an art, and I take pride in having learned to do this. I learned it from my mom, who learned it from hers."

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Oil

Hot water

Filling:

1 can tuna chunks in oil (drained)

1 onion (thinly sliced)

1 scotch bonnet pepper (finely chopped)

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 lime (halved, deseeded)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 cups potatoes (boiled and mashed)

* Oil for deep frying

Directions:

Dough:

- Mix the wheat flour and salt

- Make a well and add in the oil

- Gradually add the hot water and knead the dough until it is soft and elastic. Make sure it is not sticky.

- Make small balls with the dough

- Roll out each ball into small, flat, round shapes, about the size of a pancake (4 inches in diameter)

Filling

- Add the onions, scotch bonnet, ginger, salt and pepper into a bowl

- Squeeze lime over it and squash with your fingers until onions become soft and release juices

- Add in the tuna and mix it all well

- Add in the mashed potatoes and mix thoroughly, making sure it is well combined with the tuna

- Set aside

Patties

- Spoon some filling into each circle and close it to form a semicircle

- Pinch a tiny bit from the edge and fold it in. Pinch the bit right next to it and fold it over the first fold. Continue right around the closed semi-circular edge of the patty. (Alternatively, you can speed things up by pressing down on the edges with a fork to close it tightly)

- Once all the patties are ready, deep fry