Magwinya is a traditional fried dough snack sold as street food in the African continent. Despite its different names such as vetkoek, puff puff or bofrot, many Africans from all walks of life enjoy it for breakfast and lunch. The dough for magwinyas consists of wheat flour, sugar, salt, yeast and water, combined and left to ferment. It can then be formed into shapes and filled with different fillings, then fried afterward.

However, magwinya is not exactly a snack you would want to consume every day. Because the snack is fried, it absorbs a lot of oil – making it rather unhealthy. Regularly eating fried, starchy foods coupled with a sedentary lifestyle can put you at a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases in the long run.

Thus, a team of researchers from South Africa looked at ways to make this popular fried snack healthier. They found that adding psyllium fiber husk (Plantago ovata) and oat bran (Avena sativa) to the magwinya dough could possibly reduce the amount of oil magwinyas soak up.

The team prepared magwinya in different ways, adding psyllium fiber husk and oat bran to the dough and putting twists on the traditional recipe. Here are three things the researchers found out!

Magwinyas with oat bran and psyllium fiber husk retained more moisture

Magwinyas are traditionally prepared with more water, mixed manually, fermented at room temperature and fried at at around five minutes. This method ensures that the resulting dough cakes become moist, and adding psyllium fiber husk and oat bran improves moisture content. The researchers explained that when fried foods such as magwinyas contain more moisture, they remain fresher for a longer period. They cited the polysaccharide beta-glucan in oat bran and the gelatin-like property of psyllium fiber husk as the key factors responsible for making the fried dough retain moisture.

Magwinyas with oat bran and psyllium fiber husk absorbed less fat

The moisture-retaining properties of oat bran and psyllium fiber husk also reduced the amount of oil magwinyas absorbed. Magwinyas typically have a porous structure that soaks up cooking oil like a sponge. The longer they are cooked in oil, the more fat they absorb. But the oat bran and psyllium fiber husk additives allow the dough to retain more moisture. It would take more time for the oil to replace the moisture evaporating from the magwinya while it is fried.

Magwinyas with oat bran and psyllium fiber husk contained more nutrients

When oat bran and psyllium fiber husk were added to the magwinya dough, the resulting cakes were enriched with minerals in the form of ash content. According to the researchers, these minerals condensed during the cooking process – making the magwinyas healthier. The effect was more pronounced in fried dough cakes with psyllium fiber husk added in. Based on this, magwinyas can potentially be fortified with other minerals to make them more nutritious – which adds to its appeal.

The researchers concluded that oat bran and psyllium fiber husk are viable additives for the fried dough cakes. They significantly improved the finished magwinya by helping it retain moisture for a longer period, reducing the amount of fat it soaks up during frying and fortifying it with important minerals for the body.

Consuming oat bran and psyllium fiber husk makes your bowel movement easier and cleans your digestive system while keeping you full for a longer period. You can easily include oat bran and psyllium fiber husk in your diet, just like how easy it was incorporated into magwinya dough! Rolled and steel-cut oats are the best sources of oat bran: You simply boil it with water or milk and stir until it turns into a porridge. It’s best served with a splash of milk and topped with your favorite fruits, to be enjoyed as a breakfast or an anytime snack.

Other than oatmeal, you can also try out healthier alternatives such as fruits. Apples, strawberries and bananas are good snack choices – naturally sweet and filling without the oil! You can also grab a cup of yogurt, with its live micro-organisms providing benefits to your digestive system.