(June 26, 2011 By, Inquirer) -A staple of Ethiopian cooking, eaten in most households twice a day, every day, is “injera,” a kind of flatbread that has been described as “thicker than a crepe but thinner than a pancake,” but which to my mind resembles soft, homemade lumpia wrapper.
Injera is made from tef flour, resembling millet, although some modern recipes mix it with all-purpose flour. The flour is mixed with water and salt and allowed to ferment for a few days. When bubbles appear on the surface, the mixture is poured into a round clay pan or a modern metal injera cooker that resembles a waffle-maker.
Injera is usually eaten with a variety of stews or wat, made up of either vegetables or lentils (for fasting days), or with lamb, pork, beef or chicken (for non-fasting days). Laid out on a plate, the injera is spread out and the stews are spooned onto the surface. Using only the right hand, one tears off a bit of injera to scoop up the wat and bring it to one’s mouth.
Because it is fermented, the injera is slightly sour, but it makes for an excellent accompaniment to the often-spicy wat. On our last night in Addis Ababa, we went to a noted restaurant that featured not only traditional Ethiopian cuisine, but also a floor show that featured a band playing traditional instruments and a dance troupe.
Most guests were seated around low round tables where large discs of injera were laid out with a variety of wat mounded on top, to be eaten in common. But because our group was too large to be seated around a common table, we were summoned instead to a buffet that featured not just injera and several wat, but also salads, rice pilaf and pasta.
Before partaking of the buffet, we stopped beside a waiter holding out a metal contraption like a portable sink, a pitcher of water and a liquid soap dispenser.
At the end of the meal, the same waiter approached our tables and offered us the chance to wash our hands, which especially for those who had enjoyed some injera was quite a blessing! Evenwhile I was in Ethiopia, my husband promised me that we would have dinner upon my arrival at the newly opened branch of Bon Chon Chicken along Libis.
We had tried the Bon Chon branches in Makati, and while we are big fans of this “Korean-American” eatery, we couldn’t make the long trip to Makati whenever we craved for its crisp, juicy goodness. Read more from inquirer »
Injera is made from tef flour, resembling millet, although some modern recipes mix it with all-purpose flour. The flour is mixed with water and salt and allowed to ferment for a few days. When bubbles appear on the surface, the mixture is poured into a round clay pan or a modern metal injera cooker that resembles a waffle-maker.
Injera is usually eaten with a variety of stews or wat, made up of either vegetables or lentils (for fasting days), or with lamb, pork, beef or chicken (for non-fasting days). Laid out on a plate, the injera is spread out and the stews are spooned onto the surface. Using only the right hand, one tears off a bit of injera to scoop up the wat and bring it to one’s mouth.
Because it is fermented, the injera is slightly sour, but it makes for an excellent accompaniment to the often-spicy wat. On our last night in Addis Ababa, we went to a noted restaurant that featured not only traditional Ethiopian cuisine, but also a floor show that featured a band playing traditional instruments and a dance troupe.
Most guests were seated around low round tables where large discs of injera were laid out with a variety of wat mounded on top, to be eaten in common. But because our group was too large to be seated around a common table, we were summoned instead to a buffet that featured not just injera and several wat, but also salads, rice pilaf and pasta.
Before partaking of the buffet, we stopped beside a waiter holding out a metal contraption like a portable sink, a pitcher of water and a liquid soap dispenser.
At the end of the meal, the same waiter approached our tables and offered us the chance to wash our hands, which especially for those who had enjoyed some injera was quite a blessing! Evenwhile I was in Ethiopia, my husband promised me that we would have dinner upon my arrival at the newly opened branch of Bon Chon Chicken along Libis.
We had tried the Bon Chon branches in Makati, and while we are big fans of this “Korean-American” eatery, we couldn’t make the long trip to Makati whenever we craved for its crisp, juicy goodness. Read more from inquirer »
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