AUTHENTIC INJERA (AKA ETHIOPIAN FLAT BREAD)

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Authentic Injera (aka Ethiopian Flat Bread) image

I love eating Ethiopian food, and along with the lovely spicy flavors, injera is a principal reason for that. Try this authentic recipe for injera, which requires planning ahead a few days. The batter, which solely consists of ground teff and water, must ferment prior to cooking. I found the recipe upon which this is based at http://www.angelfire.com/ak/sellassie/food/injera.html, a good source for other information on how to serve the finished product. Preparation time is the fermentation time. As a result of a user query (thanks Jennifer!), this recipe was edited on 9/5/04 to improve teff-to-water ratio and to submit additional instructions.

Provided by Heather U.

Categories     Breads

Time P3DT10m

Yield 10 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 4

1 1/2 cups ground teff (180 g)
2 cups water
salt, to taste
vegetable oil, for the skillet

Steps:

  • Mix ground teff with the water and let stand in a bowl covered with a dish towel at room temperature until it bubbles and has turned sour; This may take as long as 3 days, although I had success with an overnight fermentation; The fermenting mixture should be the consistency of a very thin pancake batter.
  • Stir in the salt, a little at a time, until you can barely detect its taste.
  • Lightly oil an 8 or 9 inch skillet (or a larger one if you like); Heat over medium heat.
  • Pour in enough batter to cover the bottom of the skillet; About 1/4 cup will make a thin pancake covering the surface of an 8 inch skillet if you spread the batter around immediately by turning and rotating the skillet in the air; This is the classic French method for very thin crepes; Injera is not supposed to be paper thin so you should use a bit more batter than you would for crepes, but less than you would for a flapjack pancakes.
  • Cook briefly, until holes form in the injera and the edges lift from the pan; Do not let it brown, and don't flip it over as it is only supposed to be cooked on one side.
  • Remove and let cool. Place plastic wrap or foil between successive pieces so they don't stick together.
  • To serve, lay one injera on a plate and ladle your chosen dishes on top (e.g., a lovely doro wat or alicha). Serve additional injera on the side. Guests can be instructed to eat their meal without utensils, instead using the injera to scoop up their food.

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