Injera is a soft, spongy flatbread that is a staple in Ethiopian cuisine. It is known for its bubbly, spongy, pancake-like texture. In appearance wise, injera looks a bit like our South Indian dosai or appam, but it is much soft, spongy and has porous texture. Traditionally injera takes 2 to 3 days for fermentation, but I wanted to make an instant version of injera using teff flour, cooked rice, vinegar and yeast. This instant version still captures the authenticity and the airy texture of injera. It is a great recipe to try if you want to explore other global cuisines.
In a blender jar, take teff flour, rice flour, salt, sugar, cooked rice along with some water and make it into a smooth batter. Add more water if required to make a smooth batter. Once the batter is done, take it in a bowl, add some extra water to get slightly thin consistency. Now Mix this really well until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter through a fine mesh strainer to remove any grits or unblended rice.
Now in a separate small bowl, add in yeast. Pour little warm water over the yeast and mix well. Leave this for 5 minutes until the yeast is foamy and activated. Now pour this yeast mixture into the ground batter and mix well. Cover this and set aside for 45 minutes to 1 hour until it is foamy and airy.
Just before cooking injera, add in vinegar and baking soda. Mix this really well. The batter till get light and airy with lots of bubbles.
Now heat the largest nonstick pan that you have, you need some kind of lid for the pan, I used a plate. The pan should be really hot. Apply a layer of oil using paper towel. There shouldn’t be too much oil on the pan. Just a light grease to season the skillet is enough.
Take a large ladle of batter, pour the batter on the pan, swirl it gently so the batter coats the pan evenly. You will see lots of bubbles on the injera immediately. Once the raw batter on top of injera fades, cover with a lid and cook on high heat for 30 seconds. Now remove the lid and reduce the flame to medium, cook for another 30 seconds. Now use a spatula to gently remove the injera for the skillet and place it on a parchment paper or a clean large plate. Let it cool for 20 seconds. After 20 seconds you can fold the injera as per your liking and store.
Video
Notes
Make sure the skillet is hot when pouring the injera, so you get lots of bubbles.
Add baking soda and vinegar just before cooking, so the batter is activated and you get porous injera.
Nonstick skillet with handle is best for making injera.
Injera takes less time to cook. So keep an eye on it.
The batter shouldn’t be thick or too thin. Just semi consistency.
You can store injera in an air tight container so it stays warm.