The Unknown
Living Without The Fear
Written by MaryEvelyn
I’m in the belief that fear is a learned behavior. We often feel fear when we lack understanding.
Perhaps an experience or story of an incident told to us made us feel uncomfortable. Often our lack of understanding which is brought about by judgement created a fear.
We often speak of the unknown as if it is a big surprise. We have fear of it, we let the unknown make present decisions for us. We tiptoe around the unknown not wanting to embrace it. We think we have no connection to it.
I’ve come to realize that for me the unknown is not the unknown in the way that I once felt that it was. It was a feeling as if I was walking into a black hole, totally blinded and with no knowledge or favorable perception as to what was in this unknown.
I can now see that my unknown is not unfamiliar to me. I create everything in my world, I have thoughts of the future, I have glimpses of different sceneries all the time. We all do, we may not give our attention to them but they are there for us. My thoughts, my imagination, my glimpses manifest into the unknown aka the future. We may have been led to believe in our teachings that the unknown is scary thus taking us out of our comfort, familiarity, but it has been my experience through the years, that I have recognized the unknown. I have seen that I have manifested my thoughts, my glimpses, my desires. Being unaware that my thoughts, dreams, glimpses, imagination were going to show up at a later time in my life translated its meaning to be unknown and the unknown was translated to the meaning of fear. And now I realize that my so called unknown was actually created by me and my thoughts, dreams, fears, glimpses, desires thus showing me my future, the supposed unknown.
I now enjoy the relaxation that overcomes me while continuing my life. Not all of my thoughts or glimpses are pleasant because some are of the inevitable losses of love ones and surroundings.
My losses are softer felt these days I believe due to the lack of fear I once had surrounding any loss of any kind.
For me, I see the so called unknown as a place I have already been, and I am now remembering it.
This week I made another African favorite called Yovo doko. I was thinking that I had never had this before but as soon as I bit into them my memory started clicking. The taste was familiar. Some areas call them puff puffs. For me, they had a doughnut type taste to them with a different texture. They were relatively easy to make, as well. I topped them off with powdered sugar and I couldn’t resist, while enjoying game night, sharing a story about mom’s homemade doughnuts many years ago.
As always, Enjoy 😊
Yovo Doko Recipe
Yovo doko, sometimes called African donuts or puff puff, are a popular sweet snack and national dessert in Benin, West Africa. They are soft, doughy fritters made from a mixture of flour, water, yeast, and sugar. The dough is deep-fried until it develops a golden crust, while the inside remains tender. Yovo doko are typically enjoyed warm, often dusted with powdered sugar.
Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup white sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons (or one packet) instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/3 cups + 2 tablespoons warm water
Enough oil for frying (such as peanut oil or canola oil)
Powdered sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
Prepare the dough:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.
Gradually add the warm water while mixing the dry ingredients with your hands until a smooth dough is formed. The consistency should be somewhere between pancake batter and bread dough.
Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until doubled in size and bubbles appear.
Fry the yovo doko:
Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a large pot or deep frying pan to between 360 and 380 degrees Fahrenheit (or test the oil with a small piece of dough).
Using your hands, scoop a small amount of dough and squeeze out lime-sized balls directly into the hot oil between your thumb and index finger. You can also use a spoon or ice cream scoop.
Fry the yovo doko on all sides until golden brown, turning frequently to ensure even cooking. Each batch should take about 2-3 minutes.
Remove the fried yovo doko from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels or a wire rack to remove excess oil.
Serve:
Dust the warm yovo doko with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
Tips
Ensure the oil is hot enough before frying, otherwise the yovo doko may soak up too much oil and become greasy.
Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, which can lower the oil temperature and result in unevenly cooked fritters.
You can customize your yovo doko by adding a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to the dough for extra flavor.