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About the food of Estonia

After countless shots of pristine forests, glistening lakes, and hug-able medieval buildings, there he was. A nude man. In the snow.

Welcome to Estonia – where the beauty of the outdoors is celebrated and, as I unexpectedly learned this morning, nude men pop up in goofy beer ads. A Le Coq is an Estonian brewery that makes everything from beer, to soda, to juices.  They are the most popular drink company in Estonia, tracing back more than a century. Which, I suppose, is why I happened upon several A Le Coq ads while searching youtube for Estonian food and tourism videos.

Whoops.

While good for a chuckle, the ad gave me the chills. After all, the man is bare-bottomed in the snow. By the looks of it, he’s standing in real snow. I’d like to think his Estonian diet was instrumental in giving him the fortitude to stand there for 30 seconds in a foot of fluffy-white. With that assumption, let’s take a look at the Estonian food that might have sustained him through his cold trial (besides the obvious A le Coq).

Carbs, carbs, and more carbs.

Perhaps this man was able to withstand the trials of snow-streaking thanks to Estonia’s carb-tastic meals. Potatoes are the primary staple – and are served boiled, baked, mashed, and fried. They stick to your ribs in the coldest of times. If  you can’t stand potatoes (does such a person exist?) then you might try barley, a nutty grain served like oatmeal for breakfast, or like rice for lunch or dinner. A third option? Dark rye bread. These satisfying carbs are usually saddled with with meat and gravy. Perfect fuel for snow streaking.

Something fishy.

Estonia juts into the chilly Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, making fish – especially herring – a much loved item. Salted, smoked, or fried, herring is typically served on top of, or under, or swimming in a sour cream sauce. Thinly sliced red onions, dill, lemon juice or vinegar may all be present. A rugged, beer-drinking, weather-braving Estonian could eat tons of herring [Recipe].

Sweet Treats.

As for desserts? Rhubarb is a great springtime treat – adored in pies, tarts [Recipe], and cakes. Estonians also eat cheesecakes which would really be better off called “cheese” cakes – they are not overly sweet like what you’d expect out of NY-style cheesecake. The delicate sweetness is often balanced with a tart spoonful of lingdonberry jam.

When the holidays roll round, don’t forget about gingerbread – a treat as popular in Estonia as it is in nearby Denmark, Sweden and more. Not just for holiday cookies, some Estonians do fun things like use gingerbread [Recipe] as a base for their cheesecakes [Recipe]. Or perhaps to refuel after running around in the snow. The spices are rather warming.

Veski Trahter (windmill tavern in Kuressaare), Käina Martin's Church (16th c.), Tallinn Song Festival Grounds

Photos: CIA World Factbook, Stuart Yeates, Mannobult, HendrixEesti, ToBreatheAsOne, Claus Ableiter
Estonian A Le Coq Ad (Not suitable for all ages)

Monday Meal Review: Eritrea

THE SCENE

“It’s alive!” my sister gasped.

I chuckled, shrugging off the suggestion as a joke.

“No look!” she said, pointing into the bowl.

I brought my face closer.

Just wait, she said.

Bloop. Bloop. Two bubbles wiggled their way to the surface, making the blackish, scuzzy liquid quiver slightly. The scent of alcohol and yeast clung to the air.

It is alive, I said, “and it smells really … strong!”

“It’s totally teff” she said.

We recoiled, laughing. Neither of us was sure what to do next. I scanned through the pile of injera recipes that littered the counter tops while Elisa sipped her wine. A few of the recipes suggested pouring off the liquid. Several didn’t mention it. There was no question that I would be pouring it down the drain. There was just no way that liquid was supposed to be part of the injera. Not any injera I’d be eating, anyway.

As I tipped the bowl over the sink, I had the creepy, crawly feeling that I was about to dump the entire batter down the drain. I took a breath, slowed down, and let the liquid trickle out. Elisa watched.

“Are you sure you don’t need that liquid?” she said.

“No, not really,” I said, “but that’s part of the Adventure.”

The truth is, we didn’t need the scuzzy liquid. The injera cooked up beautifully without it. All we needed was underneath the yuck – a beautiful light brown batter, ready for glory. I couldn’t help but think about the yuck clinging to my spirit and how much better off I’d be without it. Anxiety, expectations, stress – it’s all just “stuff” getting in the way of enjoying beautiful, simple life.

About an hour later we munched away on the injera. Gone were all traces of the black, scuzzy creature. Gone, too, was our silverware (except for stubborn Mr Picky, who insisted on using his). The thin teff pancakes were pocked with bubbles, frozen in a beautiful display, perfect for gripping onto stew.

THE FOOD

Teff Pancake (Injera) [Recipe]

What I liked most about this dish:

Cooled injera has a nice texture – no longer sticky and somewhat elastic. The elasticity makes it easy to handle and a great tool to pick up thick stews. My sister and I had a blast using it to pick up the stew with the injera, but Mr Picky remained firmly stuck in western culture – and continued to use his fork.

What I liked least about this dish:

There are a lot of steps to making injera which make it difficult to learn on the fly. I will definitely be remaking this one when we get to Ethiopia – just so I can perfect it. I was frustrated that I didn’t have the proper pan, but I made due with a cheap-0 large square nonstick griddle – a lone survivor from Keith’s bachelor pad. I can’t believe it worked (I never use that pan) but it was perfect. Score one for Mr. Picky’s kitchenware.

Berberé – Hot East African Spice mix [Recipe]

What I liked most about this seasoning blend:

First of all, this spice blend rocks. Second of all, it was a fun excuse to get out the spice grinder (aka coffee grinder) and make the house smell like “good.” Anything would taste great with berberé – the more berberé you add to recipes, the hotter they get -but the various spices give three dimensional heat. You’ll be smitten by the range of flavor. Finally, play around with the quantities – make this recipe your own!

What I liked least about this seasoning blend:

When you toast the spices in a dry skillet the fumes can make you cough – it might be best to open a window and turn on the vent hood.

Spicy Lentil Stew [Recipe]

What I liked most about this dish:

These lentils have a lot going for them – comforting, vegan, flavorful, and spicy. I’d eat these any day of the week. Mr Picky barely touched his; I’m guessing it wasn’t spicy enough. When my sister and I were mixing the seasonings into the lentils it seemed crazy spicy. After cooking for 45 minutes all the beans had soaked up the berberé seasoning and the dish turned out rather mild. Something to keep in mind.

What I liked least about this dish:

Watch the mixture and keep stirring – it has a tendency to dry out a little. You may even find you need to add more liquid.

Hembesha-Inspired Sweet Loaf [Recipe]

What I liked most about this dish:

While this was loosely based on hembesha, the sweet use of cumin was still unique (to my palate at least). The cumin and cardamom add the most delicate background flavor – although I’m not used to having those flavors in a sweet bread, it was a neat treat.

What I liked least about this dish:

Not much – although next time I might add more raisins. Ava kept picking them out – and only when she’d eaten all the raisins in her slice would she consider eating the bread. She stuffed her face with this one.

Ava’s Corner

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqQpdFfi4A0

Berberé |Hot East African Spice blend

Berberé is a spicy and savory spice mixture used all over Eritrea and Ethiopia. This blend goes well with chicken, beef, or lamb, and would also be great with lentils and other legumes. I’ve used it with our Doro Wat (chicken stew) and Awaze Tibs (lamb stew) recipes. A few sprinkles would also be great in our Lentil Wat.

Makes about 1/4 cup

Ingredients:

3 cloves
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp  fenugreek seeds
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp paprika
1/4 tsp peppercorns
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
5 whole allspice balls
1/4 tsp cardamom seeds (removed from pods)
1/8 cup chili powder

Method:

Heat the spices in a clean, dry skillet to toast them. Once cool, grind them in batches.

Keep going until most of the stragglers get ground up!

Hey, that’s my sister!

Enjoy.

Berberé |Hot East African Spice blend
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Berberé is a spicy and savory spice mixture used all over Eritrea and Ethiopia. This blend goes well with chicken, beef, or lamb, and would also be great with lentils and other legumes. I’ve used it with our Doro Wat (chicken stew) and Awaze Tibs (lamb stew) recipes. A few sprinkles would also be great in our Lentil Wat.
Servings
1/4 cup
Servings
1/4 cup
Berberé |Hot East African Spice blend
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Print Recipe
Berberé is a spicy and savory spice mixture used all over Eritrea and Ethiopia. This blend goes well with chicken, beef, or lamb, and would also be great with lentils and other legumes. I’ve used it with our Doro Wat (chicken stew) and Awaze Tibs (lamb stew) recipes. A few sprinkles would also be great in our Lentil Wat.
Servings
1/4 cup
Servings
1/4 cup
Ingredients
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 Tbsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp black peppercorns
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
  • 5 whole allspice
  • 8-12 cardamom pods , shelled - enough to fill 1/4 tsp
  • 1/8 cup chili powder
Servings: cup
Units:
Instructions
  1. Heat the spices in a clean, dry skillet to toast them. Once cool, grind them in batches. Store in a cool, dry place.

Hembesha-Inspired Sweet Loaf

Makes one 8″ round loaf

My sister and I whipped up this Eritrean-inspired sweet bread and proceeded to stuff our faces with it all day long, until even the crumbs were gone. The cumin flavor is unusual, but goes perfectly with the sweet raisins.

While most Hembesha are made thin and extremely ornately, my sister and I decided to make this thick, quick and dirty version so we could spend more time playing with Ava on a balmy 70F degree day in February.  And so we could have more surface area to slather the hembesha with butter. Purist or not, I hope you can understand the lure of springtime in the winter.

Ingredients:

4 – 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp  instant dry yeast
1/4  tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp cumin
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter, plus extra for brushing
2/3 cup raisins
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup lukewarm milk

Method:

Grease an 8 inch springform pan.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the flour, yeast, cardamom, cumin, butter, raisins, salt, sugar, and eggs. Happy, happy, happy.

Splash on the warm milk.

Mix with a dough hook until it comes together, pulls away from the sides of the bowl into a lovely, raisin studded dough ball.

Mmm.

Wait. That was not a photo of raisin studded dough ball! It’s a dough ball with a serious lack of raisins which I blame completely on, well, running out of raisins. Never you mind, I increased the quantities in this recipe so that your dough ball will be 100% raisin studded.

Carry on.

Cover and let double in size (took about 1 1/2 hours for mine). That’s just about enough time to get a massage or go for a jog. Go for it!

When you’re done, press the dough ball into the greased springform pan. Ta-da!

Cooking with my sister is a cheery Adventure.  Press, press, press.

On second thought, lightly punching the dough is more fun. Punch, punch, punch. Let rise another 30 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F, have a tea party, and laugh until tears come out your eyes.

Score the Hembesha in a grid pattern.

And bake for 30-35 minutes (or until cooked through)

While still hot, brush with softened or melted butter. This will give the crust a dull shine.

Slice and serve warm or room temperature.

P.S. My sister and I did lots of studies and came to the conclusion that this hembesha inspired bread is “great with lots of butter, especially when warm.”

You be the judge.

Hembesha-Inspired Sweet Loaf
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The cumin flavor is unusual, but goes perfectly with the sweet raisins.
Hembesha-Inspired Sweet Loaf
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The cumin flavor is unusual, but goes perfectly with the sweet raisins.
Ingredients
  • 4-4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp instant dry yeast
  • 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 cup softened butter , plus extra for brushing
  • 2/3 cup raisins
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk , lukewarm
Servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. Grease an 8 inch springform pan.
  2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the flour, yeast, cardamom, cumin, butter, raisins, salt, sugar, and eggs.
  3. Splash on the warm milk and mix with a dough hook until it comes together, pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
  4. Cover and let double in size (about 1 1/2 hours).
  5. Press the dough into springform pan lightly punching the dough into place.
  6. Let rise another 30 minutes meanwhile preheat the oven to 350F.
  7. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
  8. While still host brush with softened or melted butter.

Eritrean Lentil Stew | Wat

Serves 4

Let’s thank Eritrea for this giant, vegan bowl of deliciousness – a happy mixture of spicy lentils, offset by sweet carrots and tomatoes. The heat comes from berberé, the regional spice blend that should be added with a heavy hand. You know, for authenticity purposes. And lots of sweating.

Edited to add: One of our readers posted a great tip in the comments section of our Ethiopian menu which also applies to Eritrean cooking:

When I watch Ethiopian cooks in Ethiopia they chop up red onion very tiny (I use a food processor and stop short of pulverizing as it helps it cook down faster) and then dry cook it in the pan — no oil. They dry cook it stirring constantly until it turns almost into a paste — imagine the consistency of a good roux. It takes a lot of onion to get the right amount of this paste. Then add the oil/lentils, sauce stuff, etc. The onion paste is actually the thickener for the wat — if you don’t do this step properly then the wat ends up too soupy/watery or you end up having to put in too much other thickeners.

-Sandra

While our version is nice and dry (and tastes lovely as is), you might be interested in playing with this technique sometime.

Ingredients:

oil or ghee
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic
1 tsp (for mild) – 2 tsp berberé
2 carrots, chopped
1 15 oz can chopped tomatoes (substitute fresh if you have them)
1 1/2 lentils (I used red and green)
2 cups water or stock
salt and pepper

Method:

Put on your tank top and shorts. It’s about to get hot in here!

Next, add chopped onions to a medium pot and sauté in a little ghee or oil.

Add in the crushed garlic while they are cooking.

Once the onions are softened and starting to color, add the berberé. One tsp of my berberé blend will make the stew mild because the lentils soak up most of the heat.

I double dog dare you to add as much berberé as you can stand and report back on the results!

Double dog dare? Let’s pretend I never said that.

Stir in the chopped carrots. Ava had fun pointing out how they look like moons.

Next, add the chopped tomatoes. They help cut the heat.

And now, for the star attraction. Pour on the lentils – I sure wish the colors stayed vibrant after cooking. Gorgeousness!

I could run my fingers through lentils all day long.

Splash on the water, season with salt and pepper, and give the mixture a big stir.

Simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed.

Ours took about 45 minutes to cook, but sometimes lentils cook in 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, avoid folding that mountain of laundry you have piled up. I heartily recommend drinking a glass of wine, possibly with your sister who is visiting from NJ.

Serve with a spoon, on top of injera, or straight from the pot, while standing in front of the stove.

I do things like that a lot.

But only in my own house. Or my sister’s house because she loves me unconditionally.

Eritrean Lentil Stew | Wat
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Let's thank Eritrea for this giant, vegan bowl of deliciousness - a happy mixture of spicy lentils, offset by sweet carrots and tomatoes. The heat comes from berberé, the regional spice blend that should be added with a heavy hand. Edited to add: One of our readers posted a great tip in the comments section of our Ethiopian menu which also applies to Eritrean cooking: "When I watch Ethiopian cooks in Ethiopia they chop up red onion very tiny (I use a food processor and stop short of pulverizing as it helps it cook down faster) and then dry cook it in the pan — no oil. They dry cook it stirring constantly until it turns almost into a paste — imagine the consistency of a good roux. It takes a lot of onion to get the right amount of this paste. Then add the oil/lentils, sauce stuff, etc. The onion paste is actually the thickener for the wat — if you don’t do this step properly then the wat ends up too soupy/watery or you end up having to put in too much other thickeners." -Sandra While our version is nice and dry (and tastes lovely as is), you might be interested in playing with this technique sometime.
Servings Prep Time
4 people 10 minutes
Cook Time
20-45 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 10 minutes
Cook Time
20-45 minutes
Eritrean Lentil Stew | Wat
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Rating: 0
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Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Let's thank Eritrea for this giant, vegan bowl of deliciousness - a happy mixture of spicy lentils, offset by sweet carrots and tomatoes. The heat comes from berberé, the regional spice blend that should be added with a heavy hand. Edited to add: One of our readers posted a great tip in the comments section of our Ethiopian menu which also applies to Eritrean cooking: "When I watch Ethiopian cooks in Ethiopia they chop up red onion very tiny (I use a food processor and stop short of pulverizing as it helps it cook down faster) and then dry cook it in the pan — no oil. They dry cook it stirring constantly until it turns almost into a paste — imagine the consistency of a good roux. It takes a lot of onion to get the right amount of this paste. Then add the oil/lentils, sauce stuff, etc. The onion paste is actually the thickener for the wat — if you don’t do this step properly then the wat ends up too soupy/watery or you end up having to put in too much other thickeners." -Sandra While our version is nice and dry (and tastes lovely as is), you might be interested in playing with this technique sometime.
Servings Prep Time
4 people 10 minutes
Cook Time
20-45 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 10 minutes
Cook Time
20-45 minutes
Ingredients
  • vegetable oil -or-
  • ghee
  • 5 cloves garlic (crushed)
  • 1-2 tsp berberé (1 for mild)
  • 2 carrots
  • 15 oz canned tomatoes (chopped)
  • 1 1/2 cups dried lentils
  • 2 cups broth (or water)
  • salt
  • pepper
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
  1. Add chopped onions to a medium pot and sauté in a little ghee or oil.
  2. Once the onions are softened and starting to color, add the berberé. One tsp of my berberé blend will make the stew mild because the lentils soak up most of the heat. Toast in the oil for a moment, then add the carrot, tomato, and lentils.
  3. Add water and seasoning (to taste). Simmer for 25-45 minutes, until the lentils are tender but not mushy. Check seasonings, adding more salt, pepper or berberé as desired.

Italian Eritrea?? (poll)

I like a good surprise. Like when a nun wears pink socks. Or when a not-so-promising movie is actually funny, but – and this is very important – only because you had supremely low expectations (Men who Stare at Goats, anyone?).

Consider Eritrea – a hot African land that enjoys injera, spicy berberé seasoning, and lentil wat (stew) – all regionally appropriate. All very expected.

Then, look down at Eritrea’s proverbial pink socks, a.k.a. a burst of Italy in an otherwise traditional African nation.

In the capital, Asmara, you can sip on a cappuccino and admire the colonial architecture – designed to resemble Italian villas as well as European art deco structures. The Fiat Tagliero gas station is even made to look like an airplane. More than 50,000 colonizers set up their lives in Eritrea, so it is no wonder they eventually called their new home “Little Rome.”

Not bad for pink socks!

** Photos courtesy of Carsten ten Brink and Hans van der Splinter (who has a web site devoted to showing the world the beauty of Eritrea).  In Splinter’s words:

Starting from 1999, I visited Asmara on a yearly basis, and I walked through the city almost every day. I experienced its beauty, both its tranquility and its activity, the hospitality and the friendliness of its people. I have tried to catch the images of these walking tours in a set of 200 pictures and a brief description, as a tourist, for future tourists and visitors to Asmara Eritrea.

Injera | Flatbread from Northeast Africa

Do you dream of cleaning out your cluttered silverware drawer? Are you totally tired of your dishes? Try a happy bite of Injera, the gorgeous Teff flatbread adored in Eritrea, Ethopia, and other East African countries. Sour and funky… Injera is almost as thin as a crepe, but spongy like a pancake … and is traditionally used both as a platter for spicy stews and to replace silverware.

Three tips for foolproof Injera making:

1. Consistency

Make sure the batter is almost the consistency of crêpe batter (between crêpes and pancakes) . Any thinner and the bubbles won’t form. Much thicker and it won’t look like traditional Injera. Practice makes perfect.

2. The Pan

If you don’t have the traditional mitad (I didn’t), you can use a large, short sided pan. You’ll have the best luck with a nonstick pan or a really well seasoned crêpe pan. Cover loosely with aluminum foil if it doesn’t have a lid.

3. Play it cool

Absolutely cool the Injera before stacking or attempting to move it around much. They are super sticky when warm, but become easy to handle once they reach room temperature. Once cool you can stack or roll the injera into tubes.

Injera preparation photo by monaxle.

Let’s Make Injera!

Serves about 6

(Recipe adapted from Flatbreads & Flavors: A Baker’s Atlas)

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups teff flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2  tsp Instant dry yeast
4 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt

1 cup water for boiling
Plus extra water for thinning to desired consistency

Method:

DAY 1

Add Teff flour to a large mixing bowl. You’ll find it at health food stores.

Stir in some all purpose flour.

Then sprinkle in a sprinkling of yeast.

Fun fact: Purists actually make injera without yeast. Instead they patiently wait for the batter to capture wild yeast from the air. I’m way too controlling to subject myself to the whims of wild yeast.

Are you?

Add some salt, for flavor.

Another Fun Fact: Purists don’t add salt. Instead they rub the special giant injera pan with salt, which thereby infuses the pancake and renders the pan nonstick. Pretty cool.

Hey, that’s my sister’s hand! Hi Sister! 🙂

Next, splash on the water – enough to make it almost runny, somewhat closer to crêpe batter than pancake batter. I used 4 1/2 cups. Whisk together and let sit, covered, until bubbly and sour smelling – a day or two.

DAY 2 or 3

Mmm, bubbly and sour smelling… Next, pour off the blackish liquid that floated to the top of the mixture. Bleck.

Whisk the remaining batter smooth again. Smooth is good. Sigh with joy.

Next, boil a cup of water.

Ladle in a half cup of the batter and whisk continually…

…until thick and the mixture resembles toffee pudding.

Let cool until lukewarm and then whisk vigorously into the Teff batter.

This cooked mixture gives the teff batter the structure needed for the air pockets to form in the finished pancake.

Again, make sure the mixture is almost runny, between the consistency of crêpe batter and pancake batter. Add water if needed.

Let the resulting mixture rest for about 30 minutes. Wait for the bubbles to form.

Hello bubbles!

Preheat the largest nonstick pan you have over medium heat (you may need to adjust this for your stove).

Ladle the batter into the pan. Traditional Injera will be a foot and a half round! My pan was square and that looked pretty cool too.

Swirl the batter around to completely coat the pan with a thin layer.

Cover loosely with a large piece of foil, or a lid – but leave the lid cracked so steam can escape. The traditional mitad pan actually has a steam vent built in. As for me? I used foil and it worked perfectly. I just shook off the built up steam every few injera.

Cook until the surface of the injera dries out and is full of little holes. Also, when ready, the edges will curl.

Carefully Injera transfer to a towel to cool (it will stick to a plate when hot). How to transfer this widemouthed flatbread: some people use large round woven discs. Others use thin wooden peels. You can even use a combination of spatulas and flipping. Take your time and enlist help if you need to.

Once cooled, you can stack the injera as needed.

Mmm, injera!

NOTE: If your injera doesn’t produce enough holes, boil some more batter with water – to help thicken it up. Wisk it in as shown above. I’ll be tweaking this recipe when we get to Ethiopia.

Ladle with thick, spicy stews..

and tear off pieces of the injera to scoop up the stew.

Take a moment to congratulate yourself on another great voyage via stovetop travel!
Then laugh like a child as you, dish-less and silverware-less, eat with your fingers
yum…
…
…
..
..
Injera | Flatbread from Northeast Africa
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Try a happy bite of Injera, the gorgeous Teff flatbread adored in Eritrea, Ethopia, and other East African countries. Sour and funky… Injera is almost as thin as a crepe, but spongy like a pancake … and is traditionally used both as a platter for spicy stews and to replace silverware.
Servings Prep Time
6 people 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 2-3 days
Servings Prep Time
6 people 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 2-3 days
Injera | Flatbread from Northeast Africa
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Try a happy bite of Injera, the gorgeous Teff flatbread adored in Eritrea, Ethopia, and other East African countries. Sour and funky… Injera is almost as thin as a crepe, but spongy like a pancake … and is traditionally used both as a platter for spicy stews and to replace silverware.
Servings Prep Time
6 people 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 2-3 days
Servings Prep Time
6 people 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 2-3 days
Ingredients
  • 3 1/2 cups teff flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast
  • 4 1/2 cups water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup water for boiling, plus extra as desired
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
Day 1
  1. Add Teff flour to a large mixing bowl with all-purpose flour, yeast, and salt. Next, splash on the water – enough to make it almost runny, somewhat closer to crêpe batter than pancake batter. I used 4 1/2 cups. Whisk together and let sit, covered, until bubbly and sour smelling – a day or two.
Day 2 or 3
  1. Pour off the blackish liquid that floated to the top of the mixture. Whisk the remaining batter smooth again. Next, boil a cup of water.
  2. Ladle in a half cup of the batter and whisk continually until thick and the mixture resembles toffee pudding.
  3. Let cool until lukewarm and then whisk vigorously into the Teff batter. This cooked mixture gives the teff batter the structure needed for the air pockets to form in the finished pancake.
  4. Again, make sure the mixture is almost runny, between the consistency of crêpe batter and pancake batter. Add water if needed. Let the resulting mixture rest for about 30 minutes. Wait for the bubbles to form.
  5. Preheat the largest nonstick pan you have over medium heat (you may need to adjust this for your stove). Ladle the batter into the pan. Traditional Injera will be a foot and a half round! My pan was square and that looked pretty cool too.
  6. Swirl the batter around to completely coat the pan with a thin layer.
  7. Cover loosely with a large piece of foil, or a lid – but leave the lid cracked so steam can escape. The traditional mitad pan actually has a steam vent built in. As for me? I used foil and it worked perfectly. I just shook off the built up steam every few injera.
  8. Cook until the surface of the injera dries out and is full of little holes. Also, when ready, the edges will curl.
  9. Carefully Injera transfer to a towel to cool (it will stick to a plate when hot). How to transfer this widemouthed flatbread: some people use large round woven discs. Others use thin wooden peels. You can even use a combination of spatulas and flipping. Take your time and enlist help if you need to. Once cooled, you can stack the injera as needed.
  10. Enjoy with stews, soups, etc, in lieu of silverware.
Recipe Notes

Three tips for foolproof Injera making:

1. Consistency

Make sure the batter is almost the consistency of crêpe batter (between crêpes and pancakes) . Any thinner and the bubbles won’t form. Much thicker and it won’t look like traditional Injera. Practice makes perfect.

2. The Pan

If you don’t have the traditional mitad (I didn’t), you can use a large, short sided pan. You’ll have the best luck with a nonstick pan or a really well seasoned crêpe pan. Cover loosely with aluminum foil if it doesn’t have a lid.

3. Play it cool

Absolutely cool the Injera before stacking or attempting to move it around much. They are super sticky when warm, but become easy to handle once they reach room temperature. Once cool you can stack or roll the injera into tubes.

Menu: Eritrea

Sisters. We share the same mother, the same nose, and the same penchant for immature giggle-fits. She took me to the mall when I was too young to drive. She encouraged me not to get a tattoo. She held me strong after our brother died in 1992. She didn’t blink when I dyed my hair purple at 16. And, this week? She came to pledge her support in the spiritual journey of my sweet Miss Ava. In the process she rolled up her sleeves and helped me cook our Eritrean Global Table. And she suggested I start dying my hair again. Ah, the honesty of sisters.

Teff Pancake (Injera) [Recipes]
A thin sour pancake pocked with little holes and used as a plate and to scoop up thick stewed vegetables and meats.

Berberé – Hot East African Spice mix [Recipe]
 This popular spice blend is known for scorching heat, but also a balance of background flavors including cinnamon, cumin, paprika, turmeric and more.

Spicy Lentil Stew [Recipe]
Made with little more than lentils, onions, carrots, and berberé – a delicious vegan stew perfect for a cold winter’s day.

Hembesha-Inspired Sweet Loaf [Recipe]
Inspired by the thin, decorative celebration bread enjoyed in Eritrea, this version is simplified for the home cook – thick, rich, and great with butter and honey. Seasoned with cumin and coriander, and sweetened with bursts of raisins.


About the food of Eritrea

Think Emeril Lagasse knows how to “kick it up a notch?” Check out the food of Eritrea, nestled on the northeastern side of Africa. This hot, dry land holds claim to spicy, deeply seasoned foods very similar to its neighbor, Ethiopia.

Eritreans kick it up with berberé [Recipe] – a spice blend made with loads of chili powder, cumin, fenukgreek, cinnamon and half a dozen other spices. Rather than vigorously dusting it on top of the food and shouting “bam!”, the people stir spoonful after spoonful into their meals. If you use as much as a local… well, expect tears. Berberé amps up nearly all dishes, including stewed chicken, lamb, and beef. Even more common than all that meat? Spicy lentils [Recipe] and chickpeas. (Side note – while they have a lengthy shoreline, most fish is exported for consumption)

Regardless of what you put berberé on, know this: it will make you sweat.

Finger food, anyone?

In Eritrea, plates are covered up – blanketed – by the mighty injera, a giant pocked flatbread/pancake made with teff flour [Recipe]. Sour from rising for days, this flatbread becomes an unusual “plate.”  Diners spoon thick stews onto the injera, then tear off outer pieces to scoop up the food, without silverware. Fun!

Take a break from all the heat by cozying up to something sweet. Go for fruit, yogurt, or breads, like hembesha – a rich celebration bread made with eggs, butter, raisins, sugar, and seasoned with cumin and sometimes cardamom [Recipe]. Don’t feel like cooking? Simply end the meal with super sweet tea or coffee.

Photos: Hansueli Krapf Tivedshambo, CIA World Factbook.

Monday Meal Review: Equatorial Guinea

THE SCENE:

A thick strand of ooze connected my spoon to the serving bowl. I wiped it up quickly, before mounding the spiced okra onto Ava’s plate.

She looked at the dark green mountain. She looked at me, shook her head, and signed for more fish. This wasn’t going to be easy.

“Try the okra, Ava,” I said, cloaking my desperation with a cheerful voice.

“Okra. Okra.” I repeated, slowly. I pointed to the plate and smiled. “Try it!” We watched her. We waited.

Ava scrunched up her nose and shook her head again. She pushed her food around a little, then squealed with delight. Goldmine! She found another piece of fish, hiding behind the okra. She popped it into her mouth and smiled.

One more time I offered her a bite. Just in case.

Again, she shook her head but, instead of saying no, she said – clear as day – “Okwa! Okwa. Okwa!”

We applauded her new word and encouraged her to say it a few more times. She did, beaming and grinning.

She was so happy – so proud – she did what any toddler does – she changed her mind. She ate the okra, with gusto normally reserved for noodles.

All we could do was smile. The fascination with okra may be temporary but, several days later she still says the word, randomly, with giggle fits. We can hope.

THE FOOD:

Millet Porridge with Ginger [Recipe]

What I liked most about this dish:

I enjoyed the unusual play of cinnamon and ginger with the bitter bite of millet flour. Mr. Picky enjoyed eating cinnamon and sugar straight from the spoon. I can’t be sure he ingested any of the cereal, if there was even any under all that sweetener.

What I liked least about this dish:

While the custard texture is lovely, millet is an acquired taste. Next time it might be fun to mix it half and half with regular or rice flour – in order to mellow out the bitter flavor.

Grilled Stuffed Trout [Recipe]

What I liked most about this dish:

The flavor of whole grilled fish is incredible. As it cooks, the skin keeps the moisture and flavor in. Stuffing it with a straightforward melange of onion, poblanos, and lemon slices makes for simple, yet elegant dinner. I particularly like how the lemon juice seeps into the fillet, giving it a bright bouncy bite.

What I liked least about this dish:

I never enjoy staring into the eyes of a fish, but I can get past that for the flavor. Mr. Picky liked everything but the looks and the lemon juice, stating it was a “bit much.” Thankfully using half as much lemon in his piece is no big deal, so that can easily be remedied in the future. Ava, well, she’s all about the fish and she wasn’t a bit bothered by the eyes.

Hot Curried Okra from Equatorial Guinea [Recipe]

What I liked most about this dish:

Easy, easy, easy. The flavor was wonderful – spicy, hot, full of robust curry – perfect for a cold winter’s day.

What I liked least about this dish:

Simmered okra releases a lot of oozy, viscus liquid. The texture was really hard to get past, even with the wonderful flavor. I found draining the okra (with a slotted spoon) and mixing it with rice really helped. I also recently found out that cooking the okra for 45 minutes can eliminate the ooze, so it might be worth a try.

Ava’s Corner

Hot Curried Okra

Serves 4-6

Okra amazes me. Fried, it behaves nicely. Crispy, yummy, good. When stewed okra becomes a little more… shall we say… unwieldy? Slippery? Viscous?

No matter. In Equatorial Guinea they make the best of it and turn this tricky veggie into spicy and exotic side dish with a few simple spices (and one explosive habanero pepper). I avoided fire-engine heat levels by simply splitting the habanero to let a little juice out. It was more than enough heat for me. While the okra becomes characteristically gooey, the flavor is amazing – and supposedly, one of the forerunners to southern gumbo.

Ingredients:

1 tsp red palm oil
1 onion, chopped
1 habenero pepper, slit
1 tsp curry
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 lb sliced okra
water, to cover

Method:

If you can get fresh okra, fantastic. If not, thaw a bag of okra. Meanwhile, take a stroll. Wave at your neighbors and smile so big they’ll wonder what’s up your sleeve.

When you get home, heat up the red palm oil in a medium pot. Add the chopped onion and habenero pepper.

Toss in the curry and chili powder, stir, and keep on cookin’.

Whistle a little tune, it’s starting to smell good in here!

When the onions are soft and beginning to brown, add the thawed okra (mine gave off a LOT of thick juices when it thawed, I just drained them off).

Next, splash on the water – stop when you get about an inch from the top of the okra. Season with salt and pepper.

Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes (or up to 45 minutes – which, I’ve heard, can cook out okra’s thick ooze). The mixture will be thick and viscous (a.k.a. gooey) so serve with a slotted spoon. Also – eat with rice or other veggies to disperse some of the goo. The flavor is wonderful.

Hot Curried Okra
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The flavor is amazing - and supposedly, one of the forerunners to southern gumbo.
Hot Curried Okra
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
The flavor is amazing - and supposedly, one of the forerunners to southern gumbo.
Ingredients
  • 1 tsp red palm oil
  • 1 onion , chopped
  • 1 habanero pepper , slit
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1 lb okra , sliced
  • water , to cover
  • salt
  • pepper
Servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. Heat the red palm oil in a medium pot and add the onion and pepper.
  2. Toss in the curry and chili powder.
  3. Cook until the onions are soft and begin to brown then add the okra.
  4. Add water until its about an inch from the top of the okra.
  5. Season with salt and pepper and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes.
Recipe Notes

Serve with a slotted spoon.  Also suggest eating with rice or other veggies to disperse some of the okra gooeyness.

Ginger Millet Porridge

Serves 2-4

What is breakfast like at your house? Does one person eat more sugar than oatmeal? More syrup than pancake? That’s Mr. Picky. One day I fully expect him to eat a bowl of nothing but sugar. Meanwhile I just barely dust my breakfast with sweeteners. While eating, we take turns shaking our heads at each other’s crazy eating habits.

Today, take your sugar out for a spin on a bowl of millet porridge, an African treat. Particularly popular in central Africa, you can make this dish as sweet as you like (although the characteristic whole grain/bitter flavor will remain strong in millet) – or you can leave it unsweetened for a more savory dish.

Ingredients:

1 cup millet flour (available at African markets or some health food stores)
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/8 cup sugar, plus extra as needed
1 cup water
1 1/2 -2 cups whole milk

cinnamon for garnish, to taste

Method:

Good morning sleepyhead! Rub the fog from your eyes. Grating a little fresh ginger will help awaken the senses. This is also the best way to get evenly sized bits – you know, so that they don’t blow your taste buds up.

Add the millet flour, ginger, and sugar to a bowl.

Whisk in the water until a smooth batter forms.

Add the batter to a small pot. Click on the heat and pour on 1 1/2 cups of milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until thickened. You must keep whisking this to avoid lumps and sticking – it works just like making custard or pudding. Add the rest of the milk if it gets too thick.

Serve with sugar and cinnamon on top. Eat with a gaggle of friends. People should do brunch more, don’t you think?

Ginger Millet Porridge
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Print Recipe
Take your sugar out for a spin on a bowl of millet porridge, an African treat. Particularly popular in central Africa, you can make this dish as sweet as you like (although the characteristic whole grain/bitter flavor will remain strong in millet) – or you can leave it unsweetened for a more savory dish.
Servings Prep Time
2-4 people 5 minutes
Cook Time
10-15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
2-4 people 5 minutes
Cook Time
10-15 minutes
Ginger Millet Porridge
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Take your sugar out for a spin on a bowl of millet porridge, an African treat. Particularly popular in central Africa, you can make this dish as sweet as you like (although the characteristic whole grain/bitter flavor will remain strong in millet) – or you can leave it unsweetened for a more savory dish.
Servings Prep Time
2-4 people 5 minutes
Cook Time
10-15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
2-4 people 5 minutes
Cook Time
10-15 minutes
Ingredients
  • 1 cup millet flour
  • 1/2 tsp ginger root , grated
  • 1/8 cup sugar , plus extra as needed
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/2 - 2 cups milk
Garnish:
  • ground cinnamon
  • sugar
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
  1. Add the millet flour, ginger, and sugar to a bowl. Whisk in the water until a smooth batter forms.
  2. Add the batter to a small pot. Click on the heat and pour on 1 1/2 cups of milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until thickened. You must keep whisking this to avoid lumps and sticking – it works just like making custard or pudding. Add the rest of the milk if it gets too thick.
  3. Serve with sugar and cinnamon on top.