Sata Andagi Okinawan Donuts in Purple Sweet Potato and Okinawan Brown Sugar (Kokuto) Flavours by Karii

Following up on my first post on Karii's Goya Shikuwasa Honey Soda and Jimami Tofu, I now cover their Sata Andagi, a type of donut that is unique to Okinawa, as well as a small feature on their Mozoku Tempura below. I got them in plain (left), purple sweet potato (middle top) and Okinawan brown sugar (or kokuto) (bottom right) flavours.

Comparing sata andagi with other fried doughs

When I first saw and tried their sata andagi, I found the texture and taste strangely familiar, yet I couldn't think of anything quite like it. It's probably because it has commonalities with many adjacent cakes and donuts, but differs from them by just one factor or two. For example, it is very similar to the Western old fashioned cake donuts - the dough of both are very similar in density and are cake-like, they have similar tastes but are not quite the same, and they are both deepfried until the exterior is cracked and somewhat thinly crunchy. 

But sata andagi obviously differs in the size and shape - deepfried as small balls, they crack more floridly, as you can see from the 2nd photo of the purple sweet potato one below. This gives them more surface area of crunchiness compared to the old fashioned donut, which is a key draw of the snack. And they also do not have any glaze like old fashioned donuts or most other Western donuts. 

Sata andagi are also reminiscent of churros, which do have a lot of crunchy surface owing to their longitudinal furrows, but traditional churros are airier and lighter inside compared to sata andagi, which are denser. Some of the contemporary denser churros might be comparable. But sata andagi also generally doesn't have any sugar or other flavoured coating or sauce like churros. 

I suspect that despite their use of the Western word "donut", they are actually closer to fried Asian dough snacks such as ham chim peng or fried butterfly common in Singapore and Malaysia. but sata andagi has a denser dough. In fact, the most direct ancestor was probably the Kai Kou Xiao (open smile balls) from China, according to quick searches.

Taste review

So how was my experience? A key draw for me of sata andagi is that they rely on the natural flavours of the dough rather than add a lot of sweet or heavy sauces or coatings. And this is what I like, because flavoured doughs and cake batters require more nuance to flavour. After all, the real comfort factor of cakes and doughs would be the natural combination of wheat and egg. The flavoured sata andagi really hit the spot for me. 

Okinawan Brown Sugar Sata Andagi

I started with the Okinawan brown sugar sata andagi. Okinawan brown sugar is also known as kokutou (or kokuto). While Western brown sugar is made coating refined sugar with molasses, kokuto a lot thicker as it is made by boiling down the sugar cane juice until it becomes a thick black syrup, then it is hardened. It makes it somewhat more smoky and intense. Kokuto is a signature Okinawan flavour as it an anchor of their agriculture, economy and traditional diet.

The kokuto subtly but clearly flavoured the sata andagi dough, giving it very satisfying warm and malty notes. There was an almost white wine-like and caramel fragrance that was subtle but clearly present. I think it also subtly incorporated the oil's flavour. From the original flavour, I thought the oil had some corn or nutty notes, and these blended well into the kokuto's overtones, filling out the palate with more balance. 

Unfortunately, I didn't detect any smoky, earthy or darker base notes that I had expected of the kokuto. It was mostly the top notes that I noticed. That was a missed opportunity, but it was enjoyable in and of itself.

The texture also did not disappoint. Unlike the old fashioned cake donut that tends to have a heavier crunch, if it happens to retain the crunch, this sata andagi's crust had a very light and satisfying sandy crisp on the outside, and the layer right beneath it had a very thin crunch. Beneath that, I thought that the dough was a tad lighter and fluffier than the average old fashioned cake donut. I usually like denser donuts, but because the fluff was well done and provided a nice chew, I loved this version as well. Karii also fried it upon order, so it was freshly fried and warm. I had to wait a bit, but it was worth it.

Purple Sweet Potato Sata Andagi

Known as beni-imo, purple sweet potato is a signature Okinawan flavour as it is a major part of their traditional diet. They are widely grown there as they are a staple food that is typhoon-resistant, unlike rice. They also incorporate it into a lot of their cuisine, including snacks and desserts, such as their famous Okinawan Beni-imo Tart that is widely exported as a souvenir.

This was my favourite of the lot. The sweet potato had a very faint but noticeable and characteristic floral honey fragrance for top notes, and earthiness for base notes. Both these flavours were subtle and nuanced, like the flour was very naturally flavoured with pure ingredients. 

The texture was similar to the Okinawan Brown Sugar one, so it was good and satisfying. But because it had a bit more cracks like this photo below, there was a bit more crisp crunch to savour.

Original Plain Sata Andagi

To be honest, the original sata andagi wasn't that nice, although I'm not sure if my palate was already dulled as I ate it last. I had expected the egg and wheat flour combination to shine, but it felt like there was not enough egg, and since butter isn't used, there was no satisfying rich ingredient to carry the taste, so thee body notes were a bit hollowed out. It totally reminded me of a Pocky stick's taste, and that doesn't use egg at all. With no flavouring, there also weren't a lot of top notes. I still prefer the average plain old fashioned donut or Asian fried dough, which seem to have more egg, and old fashioned cake donuts also have sour cream to further fill out the body notes.

Mozuku Tempura

Finally, a quick note on their Mozuku Tempura. Keeping it brief because I didn't like it. It is normally called mozuku but they seem to have misspelled it on their menu. 

Mozuku is a dark brownish green thin threadlike seaweed thought of as a superfood that is good for immune-boosting, anti-tumour, anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory effects. It is also low in calories but high in dietary fibre. It is associated with Okinawan cuisine as 90% of Japan's supply seems to be cultivated in Okinawa's warmer waters. 

While it sounds like an amazing thing to turn into tempura (like most vegetables), the execution turned it into a very bad idea. Because they didn't bunch up the strands, the thin strands all soaked up a lot more batter and oil than the mass of the mozuku itself, so it turned out to be just one huge chunk of oily and greasy batter with smatterings of mozuku so thin that I didn't even notice them in my bite. I stopped eating it after just 1 or 2 bites. The bluish patches in the picture are the shiny patches of oil reflecting some blue light from the background. That's how oily and unappetising it was.

Furthermore, the mayonnaise they served with it totally added to the overfull feeling from the heavy oil and made me lose my appetite for it. 

I highly recommend that you skip it. Go for their normal one if you want to get some superfood.

Discover other Okinawan, sweet potato, kokuto and fried dough treats

• (mentioned) Okinawan Goya Shikuwasa Honey Soda and Jimami Tofu by Karii
• (mentioned) Okinawan Beni-imo Tart
• Kokutou Kinako Bun by Gokoku Japanese Bakery
• Okinawan Brown Sugar Kokutou Raisin Bun by Gokoku Japanese Bakery
• Jimami Tofu by Nirai-Kanai
• Purple Sweet Potato Taro Egg Tart, Macau Portuguese style, by Zok Noodle House
• Purple Potato Vegetable Waffle by MOS Burger
• Sweet Potato Chocolates with Mochi and Bean Fillings