Easy Authentic Injera Recipe

Wednesdays, and Fridays — there’s this fast and that fast. I think maybe two months in the entire year, we’re free. We can eat anything. But the rest of the year, we fast.”

When Ethiopians can eat meat, they thoroughly enjoy it. Dulle says when Ethiopian customers order a dish like doro wat (chicken stew), they usually eat the entirety of that dish and leave the side vegetables.

The spices in Ethiopian recipes.

While it’s hard to summarize an entire nation’s cuisine, some commonly used ingredients include berbere, chile powder, cinnamon, Ethiopian black cardamom, Ethiopian long pepper, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, holy basil, onions, and mitmita, which Dulle’s restaurant is named after.

Mitmita is a colorful red-orange spice blend usually used for dipping cooked or raw meat. Dulle says that Ethiopians do eat some meat raw. Mitmita contains ground African bird’s eye chili peppers, Ethiopian cardamom, cloves, and salt. It is a warm, spicy, and savory blend. Berbere is traditionally more colorful — like a bright red paprika — although less spicy.

The most iconic aspect of Ethiopian cuisine is the sour fermented flatbread called injera.

How to eat Ethiopian food

“We use the right hand and injera to eat Ethiopian food,” Dulle says. “God gave us our own utensils — our fingers — and that’s how we use them.”

For those not accustomed to eating with their fingers, Dulle reminded me of the many dishes we usually eat with our hands, like pizza, sandwiches, corn on the cob, ribs, chicken, bread, and the list goes on. We even have a category called “finger foods.” In a PBS Rick Steves’ special, an Afghan professor told him, “A third of the people on this planet eat with their spoons and forks like you, a third of the people eat with chopsticks, and a third of the people eat with fingers like me. And we’re all just as civilized.”

Prior to an Ethiopian meal, diners wash their hands. For Ethiopian food, only the right hand is used. Ethiopian food is usually served communally on a large serving platter. At Mitmita’s, the entrees and side dishes sit on top of a large piece of spongy injera. A basket of rolled injera is served with the main platter.

The guests rip a piece of injera off and use it as a scoop. All five fingers are used. When the basket of injera is empty, the main platter’s injera is torn. By this point of the meal, it has soaked up all the delicious flavors of the assorted dishes, which is why Dulle says it is the best part of injera. Injera is eaten at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Dulle estimates they eat it 90% of the time.

How to make an Ethiopian Injera recipe with wild yeast

Ethiopian Injera can be made with different flours. In Ethiopia, it’s traditionally only made from teff flour and water, which is gluten-free. Teff flour can be purchased at some health food stores or online. Many restaurants and chefs have added wheat, barley, or sorghum flour to the recipe, which will contain gluten. Regardless of the flour used, injera has a spongy texture and is easy to make overall.

Starting from scratch takes about five days to get the batter to ferment. If you already have a mother, the batch will be ready in about two days. In Ethiopia, injera is cooked every 3 to 4 days. The breads are served at room temperature alongside the entrees and cut into 2- to 3-inch wide strips.

“It might be a little sourer than sourdough bread,” Dulle explains. “It depends on how many days you ferment it. I always recommend eating it with a stew or entrée. That way, the sour goes perfectly.”

To make the starter, Dulle mixes 1 cup of teff flour and ½ cup of water in a blender. She stirs it every day and loosely covers it to allow the wild yeast to start fermenting. After 4 to 5 days, the batter will have tiny bubbles. Dulle then adds 4 cups of teff flour, 2 cups of barely flour, 2 cups of wheat flour, and about 7 cups of water to the starter.

After another two days, Dulle boils 1 cup of water and adds a ladle (about 1 cup) of the mixture to the boiling water. She cooks it for about 10 minutes until it’s evenly distributed in the pan. Once it has cooled slightly, she returns it to the main batch by whisking it in. This ensures the cooked injera will be soft and spongy. She lets the mixture sit overnight. If there is foam, a film of aerobic yeast, or water on the top of the batch, she removes it or blends it back in with a hand blender. She’ll then cook up to 90% of this batch before adding more flour and water and beginning the process again.

Injera Ingredients:
• 5 cups of teff flour
• 2 cups of wheat flour
• 2 cups of barely flour
• 7 1/2 cups of water

How to cook injera bread

Dulle sets her non-stick skillet to 370F. In Ethiopia, a clay mitad is used.

“A non-stick skillet makes our life easier,” Dulle says. “If you don’t know how to do perfect circles, you can just pick it up and swirl it. It’s now a perfect circle with even consistency.”

Each piece of injera only takes 30 to 60 seconds to cook. Dulle applies a ladle of batter directly onto the skillet. She waits for it to change color a little bit to know when it is ready. She watches for the eye to have a bubble. The bottom will be flat and smooth. She then uses a woven mat to remove it from the skillet, akin to a pizza peel.

Once cooled, she’ll roll them and then cut them into strips. Although the mitads are available in different sizes in Ethiopia, she has noticed that despite her restaurant having three non-stick circular skillets from three companies, they are all the same size.

Doro wat recipe (Ethiopian chicken stew)

In the U.S., we may view stew as similar to soup. Although doro wat translates to chicken stew, it is a very thick sauced chicken served on injera and eaten with your hand, just like other Ethiopian dishes.

“Doro wat’s secret is onions,” Dulle says. “A lot of onions.” Doro wat is a chicken stew traditionally eaten when respected guests visit, on holidays, or at weddings.

In a large pot, sauté onions until they are cooked all the way and translucent. Then add berbere, and if you are using oil, you may add it now. Dulle says some people use Ethiopian spice butter. Dulle has not been able to find Ethiopian spiced butter but has seen Ethiopian spiced ghee at some health food stores, although she can’t attest to its flavor. The spiced butter contains cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and nutmeg.

Cook the onions, berbere, and the fat of your choosing (oil, butter, or ghee) until the mixture is aromatic. The berbere will be releasing a lot of flavors. Add salt, garlic, and ginger.

“In Ethiopia, we kill our own chicken and chop it into 12 pieces,” Dulle explains. “We put the whole chicken in except the feet and maybe the head. Some places put the head in, but where I grew up in my household, we didn’t.”

Dulle’s family also put the skin in, which they scalded to remove the feathers. At the restaurant, they buy drumsticks to make the doro wat. Once the spices have bloomed, add the chicken and broth and simmer for hours.

“For the restaurant, we simmer for four or five hours. Back home, we would do it all day.” Dulle explains, “Because if you use the whole chicken, it will take more cooking time. But here, at least 4 to 5 hours is good for the smaller pre-cut pieces.”

“Dora wat has to have hard-boiled eggs,” Dulle says. “It’s a must. Even my daughter, who is allergic to eggs, says, ‘Mommy, I want egg! You can’t have doro wat without egg in it!'”

Doro Wat ingredients:

• 4 -5 lbs of red, yellow, or white onions, minced
• 3 lbs chicken thighs, breast, or drumsticks cut into similar-sized pieces
• 3 tablespoons Ethiopian spiced butter or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
• 1/4 cup Ethiopian berbere
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 4 hard-boiled eggs pierced with fork

Ye’abesha Gomen (Ethiopian Collard Greens)

Ye’abesha Gomen or gomen is a braised greens dish usually containing collard greens, but kale may be substituted. Ye’abesha Gomen is a popular vegan side.

In a medium-high heated pan, sauté a diced onion in vegetable oil until translucent. At the restaurant, Dulle uses vegetable oil for people with allergies. Add minced garlic and ginger and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add greens and cook for 5-7 minutes or until wilted.

• 1 bunch collard greens or kale roughly chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 tablespoons vegetable, olive, peanut, or sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, minced

Tikil Gomen (Ethiopian Cabbage, Carrots, and Potatoes)

This is another easy Ethiopian recipe that can be cooked in one pot. The color is bright, and the flavors are warm to slightly spicy.

Like the previous dish, in a medium-high heated pan, sauté a diced onion in vegetable oil until translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add carrots, potatoes, and turmeric to the pan. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add cabbage and cook with the lid on for another 10 minutes. Add spicy fresh peppers or salt to taste.

• 1 tablespoon vegetable, olive, peanut, or sesame oil
• 1 medium yellow or white onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 medium yellow or red potatoes, cut into wedges
• 2 medium-large carrots, cut into rounds or wedges
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 medium head cabbage, cut into wedges
• Salt to taste
• 2 jalapeno or spicy peppers to taste

Misir Wat (Ethiopian spicy lentils)

Red and yellow lentils are a staple in Ethiopian cuisine. Misir Wat (or wot) is a spicy vegetarian or vegan dish that highlights the berbere spice that Ethiopian food utilizes so well. This is another feel-good warm meal.

Add oil, onions, and garlic and cook medium-low until softened. Add berbere and tomato paste and cook for an additional minute. Add red lentils and water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer until lentils are soft, usually 30-45 minutes.

• 3 tablespoons vegetable, olive, peanut, or sesame oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons berbere
• 1 cup red lentils
• 2 ½ cups water
• Sea salt to taste

Kenny Coogan earned a master’s degree in Global Sustainability and has published over 400 articles on pets, livestock, and gardening. He lives on a 1-acre homestead with a flock of Pekin ducks, managing a permaculture-style landscape. Coogan also runs a successful carnivorous plant nursery in Tampa. Listen to Coogan co-host the Mother Earth News and Friends Podcast by visiting motherearthnews.com/podcast.