Prep. time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes + 8 to 10 minutes per frying bath

The gato patate remains a traditional delicacy from the island of Mauritius. At many corner streets or the various markets of the island you will come across this half-moon shaped cake, a sweet indulgence stuffed with coconut and fragranced with cardamom.

This traditional cake is also one cake that is very popular among the Hindu population, since it remains one of the main sweet cakes that is shared for the Divali festival each November 7th – where all houses are illuminated and sweet cakes are shared.

1. In a bowl, make the stuffing by mixing grated coconut, sugar, water, raisins and cardamom. Reserve aside.
2. Wash the sweet potatoes and cook them in boiling water for at least 20 minutes (until they are very tender).
3. Drain the sweet potatoes; peel them and mash them with a fork until you get a smooth purée. Let cool.
4. Make the dough by adding the flour little by little to the sweet potato purée by kneading with hands until mixture forms a smooth and soft dough. Knead for at least 5 minutes and form a ball.
5. Divide into twenty small loaves.
6. On a floured surface, flatten the dough, using a roller, to about 2 millimeters thick. Make some circles using a round piece or bowl (8 cm in diameter).
7. Fill the center of each dough circle with a teaspoon of stuffing.
8. Moisten the periphery of the dough with your finger dipped in cold water. Fold each circle of dough into a half circle, pinch the edges to make them adhere to each other. Reinforce the “welding” by pressing the teeth of a fork on both sides of the liner.
9. In a deep skillet or wok, cook the potato cakes in hot oil until they take a beautiful amber color - allow 8 to 10 minutes per frying bath.
10. Remove the potato cakes and allow to drain on paper towels. You can enjoy them warm or at room temperature.