Ethiopian Feast (Part 2)

Total and utter deliciousness!!! That's the best way to sum up our Ethiopian meal but even that seems to understate how good it was. So different to other curries and the injera bread was fantastic. I had serious doubts that the bread was going to turn out as the mixture seemed quite thick initially. Over the course of three days of fermenting it thinned out a little.  

This is how it looked after one full day...

After the second day, there were more bubbles present as well as more water separating.

And here is a shot of one frying in the pan. As I don't own a huge non-stick frying pan, I made the injera smaller rather than larger which made them easier to handle. I won't lie and say every piece turned out perfectly as the temperature of the frying pan was too hot initially so a couple were a little burnt on the bottom. I was happy with an 80% success rate on my first attempt.

The recipe seemed to feed a lot of people so I halved it for the three of us in case I made a mess of it or it didn't keep well. In hindsight, I should have made the full recipe which is posted below as we have so many left-over curries. I'm not sure if I can restrain myself from the left-overs for 3 days in order to make another half batch of Injera. Next time a full batch of Injera will definitely be made.

Now I have given you the know-how on the Berbere spice mix, the Niter Kibbeh spiced butter and Injera, there is only thing left to talk about - the curries. Stay tuned...

Injera (Sourdough flatbread) (From World Vegetarian Classics)

300g (2 1/3 cups) strong white bread flour
100g (2/3 cup) wholemeal self-raising flour
7g dried yeast
625ml (2 1/2 cups) warm water
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon salt

Select a large ceramic, glass or plastic bowl, which will allow the batter enough room to rise. Combine the flours and yeast in the bowl. Stir in the warm water and mix to a fairly thin, smooth batter. Cover with a clean damp cloth and let the mixture sit for a full 3 days at room temperature, stirring once a day - it will bubble and rise.

When ready to cook the injera, stir in the bicarbonate of soda and salt into the mixture and leave to stand for 15 minutes. 

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat until a drop of water bounces on the surface. Use a 1/2 cup measure to scoop the batter and pour into the hot pan, swirling quickly to coat the surface from the centre outwards - lots of little holes will form immediately. Cook until the surface of the pancake is dry; do no flip or allow to brown underneath - it should be soft and pliable. Remove to a warmed plate and cook the remaining Injera.