What Is Jamaican Festival?
Jamaican Festival is a sweet fried dough made with a mixture of flour, cornmeal and some sugar as the base ingredients along with other items. It is deep fried and should have a crunchy taste on the outside and soft and fluffy taste on the inside. It is a popular side dish in Jamaica that usually goes well with Fried Escovitch Fish, Jerk Chicken, Jerk Pork, ackee & saltfish or whatever else you may desire. It is also great eaten just by itself. It is pretty much a sweet version to fried dumplings.
This is my homemade version of this delicious side dish loved by kids as much as adults. This is definitely best served after it is made. But if needed it can be reheated in an air fryer or taster oven for best results.
Ingredients For Jamaican Festival
- Flour
- Cornmeal
- Salt
- Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Vanilla
- Milk
- Oil
Preparation of Jamaican Festival
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- Measure out your ingredients.
- Sift your flour, salt, and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
- Add the cornmeal and sugar and whisk well.
- Measure out your milk and add vanilla to it.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the milk.
- Start by stirring with a spoon until the dough starts to come together.
- With clean hands, gently knead the dough using extra flour as needed so dough is not sticky. (do not over knead the dough).
- Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat, add your oil, wait a few minutes until it is hot.
- Start rolling out your festivals. Pinch off about a little less than a handful of dough, first roll into a ball and then start to roll dough with both palms for it to get thinner and longer as pictured above similar to a sausage but not as long. (These will get puffier as they cook).
- Cook a few minutes on each side until golden brown. (if browning too fast, turn down heat). This should take about 5-7 minutes.
- Remove to a paper towel lined plate first to absorb excess oil. Then can be placed on your serving plate.
Jamaican Festival
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour more needed for rolling
- 4-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 3/4 cup Cornmeal
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. White Sugar
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- 3/4 cup Milk
- 1 cup Oil or more as needed for deep frying
Instructions
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Measure out all ingredients.
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Sift together flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl, then add cornmeal and sugar. Whisk together well.
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Combine milk with vanilla.
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Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the milk and vanilla. First start by stirring with a spoon until the dough comes together. Then using your hands, gently knead the dough together and form into a ball. Use more flour at this time so that the dough is not too sticky.
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Pinch off pieces of dough and roll into a ball and then longer oval shapes similar to a shorter sausage.
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Place a deep pot or non stick skillet on medium heat, add oil and wait for a few minutes until hot.
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Start adding only a few festivals to the pot at a time. Brown on all sides which should take 5-7 minutes. If browning too fast, lower your heat a bit to make sure inside gets cooked too. Your festivals should swell a bit while cooking.
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When finished, place on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil. Then place on serving platter.