BREAD


10


Make your own injera


This sour flatbread is an Ethiopian staple. “We can’t eat


any of our stew-based meals without it,” says author and chef Yohanis Gebreyesus. “It’s made of teff flour — an indigenous cereal domesticated by our forefathers 3,000 years ago.”


Yohanis Gebreyesus’s injera


SERVES: 2 TAKES: 20 MINS PLUS 24HRS RESTING


INGREDIENTS 240g teff flour 500ml bottled still water ¼ tsp salt ½ tbsp baking powder vegetable oil, for the pan


METHOD Tip the flour into a non-reactive


bowl, then work in the water and stir. Cover and leave for 24 hrs. The batter should now be slightly


foamy. Whisk in the salt and baking powder; the batter will deflate as you stir. Moisten a paper towel with oil,


then wipe the surface of a nonstick crepe pan or frying pan and set over a medium–high heat. Use a spouted measuring cup to scoop up 125–250ml of the batter (depending on the size of the pan). Pour the batter into the pan


in a thin stream and in one continuous, spiral motion, starting at the outside edge of the pan and working inwards. Swirl the pan if the batter needs to be more evenly distributed. Cook until bubbles form on the


surface and the batter begins to set. When about 75% of the surface has changed colour (around 45 seconds to 1½ mins), cover the pan with a large glass lid. Cook until the edges begin to curl, the top is quite dry and the injera has released from the bottom of the pan. Don’t flip. Once cooked, use a long, thin spatula and a thin plate to transfer the injera to a flat basket or a plate lined with parchment paper. Remove any stray dough from the


pan, apply more oil if needed and reheat. Continue as above, layering each injera on top of the last when done (allow to cool for at least 5 mins before placing another on top). After you’ve made the first few, turn the heat to medium–low. Allow the injera to cool for at least 30 mins before serving.


Taken from Ethiopia: Recipes and Traditions from the Horn of Africa, by Yohanis Gebreyesus (£30, Octopus)


WHERE TO START London is home to several great Ethiopian restaurants, including Zeret Kitchen. zeretkitchen.co.uk


Above, from left: woman cooking injera; khachapuri


11


Taste a bread worthy of UNESCO status


There are at least 53 different kinds of khachapuri, a traditional Georgian cheese- stuffed bread that’s been given Intangible Cultural Heritage status by UNESCO. It’s not hard to understand khachapuri’s popularity — although each region has its own version, the one thing almost all khachapuri share is that they’re filled or topped with a large amount of melted cheese (plus optional ground meats, potatoes, greens or herbs). And they’re often served as a side, despite being at least the size of a small pizza. The boat-shaped adjaruli khachapuri, which


originated near the Black Sea, is probably the most famous, and the easiest to find outside Georgia. It’s also even more unctuous than the basic dough and cheese version, given that, fresh from the oven, an egg is broken onto the bubbling cheese, cooked until barely set and topped with a pat of butter. If temptation gets the better of you, don’t tell your cardiologist. In Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, try it


at Retro, run by Gia Agirba, who’s been making khachapuri since he was a child. Alternatively, for a more refined experience, visit Barbarestan. Set up by restaurateur Levan Qoqiashvili in a bid to illuminate Georgia’s pre-Soviet culinary heritage, it was recently placed on the ‘50 Best Discovery’ list.


WHERE TO START Try Little Georgia restaurant in Hackney and Islington. littlegeorgia.co.uk/menu


NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/FOOD-TRAVEL 45


IMAGES: GETTY; PETER CASSIDY


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