Firi Firi Recipe: Tahitian Figure-Eight Coconut Doughnuts

Firi firi are Tahitian doughnuts made with coconut milk, usually shaped into a twisted figure eight (Manu’s Menu). This recipe makes 12 from a soft yeasted dough rather than a piped batter. You knead it by hand, give it 2 hours to rise, then roll it into ropes and loop each into an 8. After a 30-minute rest they fry at 340°F (170°C) until deep golden brown and get rolled in sugar while still warm.

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes (includes 2 hours rising and 30 minutes resting the shapes) | Servings: 12 firi firi

Difficulty: Medium | Calories: ~275 per serving

What Makes Firi Firi Different from Other Doughnuts?

Start with the name. Manuela Zangara of Manu’s Menu writes that it comes from the Tahitian word “firi,” meaning “to twist,” so the English meaning is essentially “twisted doughnut” (Manu’s Menu). Tahiti Tourisme describes firi firi as a kind of donut shaped in a figure 8 (Tahiti Tourisme). Caroline of Moana Voyages calls it “this little eight-shaped doughnut” with golden skin and a moist texture (Moana Voyages).

The coconut is quieter than you might expect. Zangara notes that the coconut taste is very light, even though the dough is made with coconut milk (Manu’s Menu). The finish is plain granulated sugar in her recipe and in Caroline’s, rolled on once the doughnuts have drained (Manu’s Menu; Moana Voyages).

Firi firi belong to the morning. “No self-respecting Tahitian would serve breakfast without firi firi,” Tahiti Tourisme writes, and calls them perfect for dunking in your early morning coffee (Tahiti Tourisme). Caroline describes Sunday breakfast in Polynesia as an institution, with the Papeete market already crowded at 4 a.m. She names firi firi the real star of the weekend, sold on market stalls, in convenience stores and by the road (Moana Voyages).

Should You Pipe a Batter or Roll a Dough?

Both methods are in use. Zangara’s recipe whisks 350 g of flour, 100 g of sugar, 7 g of dry yeast, 80 ml of water and 200 ml of coconut milk into a thick, smooth batter. It rises for 3 hours. Then she pipes it through a 2-inch (5 cm) opening straight into the oil, cutting pieces about 5 inches (13 cm) long (Manu’s Menu). The Coconet publishes the same recipe under her name (The Coconet).

Caroline uses the same amounts and the same piping bag. She compares the process to making churros, except that you shape the pieces like an eight before deep frying (Moana Voyages).

The French-language channel Recettes Cooking kneads a dough instead: 300 g of flour, 100 ml of coconut milk and 100 ml of coconut water, left for 2 hours. It divides the dough into 10 equal portions, rolls each into a log and folds it into an 8. The shapes rise for another 30 minutes on a lined baking sheet before frying (Recettes Cooking).

This recipe takes the dough route, with the same 2-hour rise and 30-minute rest. A dough you can roll on the counter keeps its 8 on the tray, and you can lift each one into the oil by hand. Keep the dough soft. If it fights back when you roll the ropes, cover it for 5 minutes and try again.

How Dark Should Firi Firi Fry?

Past golden. The Coconet’s copy of Zangara’s recipe says to fry them on both sides until golden brown, adding that “they need to be more brown than golden!” (The Coconet). Caroline asks for brown too, “a great tan made in Tahiti” (Moana Voyages).

Temperature decides whether you get there cleanly. Zangara heats her oil to 170°C (340°F). If the oil is cooler, she warns, the firi firi soak up oil; if it’s too hot, they brown too fast outside and stay raw in the centre (Manu’s Menu). Step 4 uses her 340°F (170°C).

Clip a thermometer to the pot and fry no more than 4 at a time, since each batch pulls the heat down. Break open the first one. The crumb should be fluffy and dry all the way through, with no wet streak where the two loops cross.

Ingredients for Firi Firi

For the Dough:

3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3/4 cup (180 ml) full-fat coconut milk, warmed to lukewarm
1/4 cup (60 ml) lukewarm water
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (7 g) active dry yeast (1 packet)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

For Frying and Coating:

Vegetable or sunflower oil for deep frying (about 2 quarts / 2 liters)
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar, for rolling

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Mix and Knead the Dough

1Stir the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar into the lukewarm water and leave it for 5 to 10 minutes, until foamy. Whisk the flour, the rest of the 1/4 cup of sugar and the salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture, coconut milk, vanilla and melted coconut oil and stir into a shaggy dough. Knead on a lightly floured counter for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth, soft and only slightly tacky. Add flour a tablespoon at a time only if it sticks to your hands.

Two hands kneading a smooth, pale ball of dough on a floured wooden counter, with a cream mixing bowl, a glass bowl with the last of the foamy yeast, a white jug of coconut milk and a whole coconut behind — Step 1- Mix and Knead the Dough

Step 2: Let the Dough Rise

2Shape the dough into a ball and set it in a lightly oiled bowl, turning it once so the top is coated. Lay a damp towel or plastic wrap over the bowl. Give it about 2 hours somewhere warm, until the dough has doubled. A finger pressed into the top should leave a dent that fills back slowly.

A hand pulling a linen towel off a cream ceramic bowl of risen, puffy pale dough domed above the rim, on a floured wooden counter — Step 2- Let the Dough Rise

Step 3: Shape the Figure Eights

3Press the dough down and divide it into 12 equal pieces of 55 to 60 g. Roll each into a rope about 10 inches (25 cm) long. Make a loop at one end, cross the rope over itself in the middle, make a second loop on the other side and tuck the end under the crossing to form an 8. Set the shapes on a floured, parchment-lined tray, cover loosely and leave them for 30 minutes, until puffy. Heat the oil toward the end of the rest.

Two hands tucking a thick rope of raw pale dough into a figure eight on a floured wooden counter, with plump raw figure eights on a parchment-lined tray behind and two balls of dough at the left — Step 3- Shape the Figure Eights

Step 4: Fry Until Deep Golden Brown

4Heat the oil, 2 1/2 to 3 inches (6 to 7.5 cm) deep, to 340°F (170°C) in a heavy pot or Dutch oven. Fry 3 or 4 firi firi at a time, holding each by its loops as you lower it in. Give them 2 to 3 minutes on each side, flipping once, until deep golden brown. Drain them on a wire rack with paper towels underneath. Let the oil return to 340°F (170°C) before each batch.

A hand lifting a deep golden-brown figure-eight doughnut on a wire spider from a black cast-iron pot of bubbling oil on a gas stove, with two more frying and fried ones draining on a wire rack beside it — Step 4- Fry Until Deep Golden Brown

Step 5: Roll in Sugar and Serve

5Tip the 1/2 cup of sugar into a wide, shallow bowl. While the firi firi are still warm, roll each one in the sugar until coated all over, pressing lightly so it sticks in the creases. Serve warm, with coffee.

Two hands turning a warm figure-eight doughnut in a wide grey bowl of granulated sugar, with a plate of sugar-coated firi firi and a cup of black coffee behind on a wooden table — Step 5- Roll in Sugar and Serve

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you bake firi firi instead of frying them?

You can, but you end up with a soft bread roll rather than a doughnut. TasteoftheSouthPacific made a baked version for viewers who wanted fewer calories and calls it soft, fluffy and still tasty compared to the fried original (TasteoftheSouthPacific). The English Kitchen adapted a Taste of Home recipe into baked Tahitian Coconut Breakfast Rolls and describes it as a yeast roll, rather than a donut. Her figure eights lost their shape as the dough rose (The English Kitchen). If the 8 matters to you, fry.

Do firi firi taste strongly of coconut?

No, the coconut is faint. Manuela Zangara of Manu’s Menu writes that even though firi firi are made with coconut milk, the coconut taste is very light. She says the milk adds moisture and richness without a strong coconut taste. For a gentle aroma, she suggests mixing 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract into the coconut milk, which this recipe also adds (Manu’s Menu). Caroline of Moana Voyages adds that she is told travel agents love vanilla and cinnamon flavored firi firi (Moana Voyages).

How long do firi firi keep?

They are best on the day you fry them. Zangara gives firi firi 1 day on the counter, sealed in an airtight container. For longer, she freezes them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 1 month (Manu’s Menu).

Is the video recipe the same as this one?

Close, with a few swaps. Andiamo’s video lists the same 3 cups of plain flour, 1/4 cup of caster sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. It uses 1 teaspoon of dried yeast, half a can of coconut milk and 1/2 cup of coconut water, and finishes with a dusting of icing sugar (Andiamo). This page uses a full packet of yeast, 3/4 cup of coconut milk and plain water, adds salt and coconut oil, and rolls the doughnuts in granulated sugar.