Spoiler alert: This recipe was a bit of a let-down, especially because it took nearly 4 days of prep time and anticipation.
When I did my research about Ethiopia, I kept finding something called injera. All of the recipes I had my eye on said that they should be served with injera. So before I get into the two Ethiopian meals, I thought I would give this recipe its very own post.
Injera is a type of sour flat bread, sort of like a crepe. I am notoriously bad at making any kind of bread, so I was very skeptical about trying this one. Still, I wanted to do this thing right, and I went ahead and committed to making it.
The first step in making the injera is to mix teff flour with all-purpose flour and water. Teff flour was easier to find than I expected, but it was a pretty penny (like anything you find at The Fresh Market...!) I also read that I could use wheat flour instead of white flour, which I did. Then, after you mix the flour with water, you cover it and wait 3-4 days as it ferments, agitating it once a day or so. Or at least, that's what the recipe said.
Once the batter has fermented, it's ready to be cooked. The method
for cooking the injera is kind of like cooking a pancake, only you don't turn it over. However, after the first two or three that I tried making, they didn't look right. So I panic-searched for a YouTube video to help me. What I learned is that 1.) I probably should have cooked it in a round pan instead of on the griddle (I was trying to save time), and 2.) I needed to steam them once the bubbles appeared. To steam them, all I had to do was put a round lid over them as they cooked. This went a long to way to helping their appearance. As for taste...
We really were not big fans of the injera. It was so sour and a bit chewy. Younes believes it must be an acquired taste. I'm not convinced though that it wasn't partly (or entirely) my fault. I'm sure I went wrong somewhere and I'm terrible with breads, let's not forget!
But all is not lost, because the injera is really just a vehicle for the yummy foods. And when it's mixed with the sauces and juices from the different meat and vegetable dishes, it isn't so bad.
Maybe someday I'll be able to try the real deal and compare it to my own attempt.
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