Injera

Ingredients

• 400g ivory or brown teff flour
• 800ml lukewarm water, plus 250ml extra for the absit
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• Neutral oil, for wiping the pan

Before you cook

• Whisk the teff flour with 800ml lukewarm water in a large non-metal bowl until there are no lumps at all.
• Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave it at warm room temperature, around 22 to 25C, for three days.
• Check it once a day and do not stir it, letting a layer of grey water rise to the top.

Steps

1. On the third day, pour off and discard the grey liquid sitting on the surface of the batter.
2. Smell what is left, which should be sharply sour like yoghurt, and stir it back into a smooth slurry.
3. Scoop 250ml of the batter into a small saucepan and whisk in 250ml water.
4. Cook that mixture over medium heat for about 4 minutes, whisking constantly, until it thickens into a loose glossy paste, which is called absit.
5. Let the absit cool for 10 minutes, then whisk it back into the main bowl of batter along with the salt.
6. Add water a splash at a time until the batter pours like single cream and coats a spoon only thinly.
7. Cover the bowl and leave it for 1 hour so it puffs slightly.
8. Set a wide non-stick pan or flat griddle over medium-high heat and wipe it with the barest film of oil.
9. Pour about 150ml of batter into the centre and swirl the pan outward in a spiral so it spreads thin to the edges.
10. Watch the surface for 30 seconds until it is covered in tiny bursting holes right to the rim.
11. Cover the pan with a lid and steam for 90 seconds without turning the injera over.
12. Lift the lid and check that the top is matt and dry with no wet patches, then slide the injera onto a clean cloth.
13. Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking each injera on the last once it has cooled for a minute so they do not stick.