Injera goes really well with Beef Tibs, doro wat and other Ethiopian dishes.
If you want to try your hand at making Ethiopian beef tibs or doro wat, you should also consider making injere. Injera is the traditional sauce with these and other Ethiopian dishes.
What is injere?
Injera is a traditional Ethiopian and Eritrean flatbread that serves as a staple food in both countries.
It is a unique and integral part of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine, often used as a base or utensil for scooping up stews, vegetables, and other dishes or just rolled up as I did.
You will often fine an injera flatbread placed over a plate with stews, dals and vegetables served on top.
How do you make injere flatbread?
The traditional way to make injera is with teff flour. If you make your injera solely with teff flour, you might find it a bit strong in flavour.
I usually use equal amounts of teff and plain wheat flour. The more wheat flour you use, the lighter the breads will be.
To make injera, you simply whisk the flours with water until you have a thick but pourable batter.
Then you let it ferment in a warm place for 2 to 3 days.
What is teff flour?
Teff flour is a type of flour made from the tiny grains of teff, which is an ancient grain native to to Africa, particularly Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Teff is a gluten-free grain and is considered one of the oldest cultivated grains in the world. It is highly nutritious and is rich in protein, dietary fiber, iron, calcium, and other vitamins and minerals.
You can find teff flour at specialty shops, health food stores and online.
Do you have to ferment the batter?
Yes if you want the real thing. By letting the batter ferment, it gives the indera a sourdough flavour.
Of course, you could cut out the fermenting bit but I hope you don’t. Injera really is delicious when properly fermented.
How many people does this recipe serve?
This makes enough injera to serve 6 to 8 people. You can easily upscale or downscale the recipe should you wish to make more or less.
How long can you keep injera flatbreads?
Once you make the flatbreads, it is a good idea to keep the wrapped tightly in the fridge.
They should keep for at least 3 days this way. To reheat them, simply place the injera in your microwave and heat them through for about a minute or two.
If only heating one or two, you can reduce this heating time to about 30 seconds.
Can you freeze injera?
Just like any bread, you can freeze injere for about 3 months.
It is best, however to freeze the batter and then cook them up fresh when needed.
If you decide to freeze the batter, be sure to freeze it in portion sizes that are convenient for you.
Step by step photographs.
Measure out your flours, salt and water.
Sift the flours into a mixing bowl.
Slowly add water until you have a creamy and pourable batter. I used about 900ml of water.
Whisk the batter until smooth.
Cover the batter loosely with plastic wrap (cling film). Let it ferment in a warm place for 2 to 3 days.
How sour you make the batter is up to you.
After 2 days, the batter will begin to bubble up and you will smell the fermentation.
You might be happy with 2 days but I usually go for 3 days of fermenting before cooking. Things such as the heat in your house can affect how quickly the batter ferments.
Stir the batter every 12 hours or so. After 2 days, you will notice tiny bubbles forming on top.
When ready to cook, whisk in the salt. heat a pan over medium-high heat and add a ladleful of the batter.
Swirl the batter around in the pan as if you are making a thin crepe.
After 30 to 60 seconds, small bubbles will begin to form on top.
Cover the pan and continue cooking until cooked through. This should take about 2 minutes.
Roll it up when cooked through or slide it off the pan.
Enjoy!
Injera Recipe - Ethiopian Flatbread
Ingredients
- 250g (1 ½ cups) teff flour
- 250g (1 ½ cups) plain (all purpose) flour
- 1 litre (4 cups) water
- 1 tsp salt
- Rapeseed (canola) oil or ghee for cooking
Instructions
- Sift both flours into a large mixing bowl and then slowly add the water until you have a thick yet pourable batter. It should be slightly thicker than crepe batter.
- Cover the mixing bowl loosely with clingfilm, (plastic wrap) and leave in a warmm dark place for 2 to 3 days. As the batter sits, it will ferment and become sour like sour dough. Let your nose decide how sour you want your injera to be.
- When ready to cook, pour the batter into a jug that has a spout so that it’s easier to pour onto a frying pan or crepe pan. Whisk in the salt.
- Lightly grease your pan and place over a medium-high heat. It is best to use a non-stick pan if you have one. Pour a thin layer of the batter onto it, tilting it around so that it is thin like a crepe.
- Cook for about 30 seconds or until small bubbles begin to form on top. Then cover the pan and continue cooking for another couple of minutes or until cooked through. Carefully slide the bread out of the pan or roll it up and keep warm while you cook the remaining batter.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 71Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 291mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 2g