Why it works: Flour and wheat are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,373 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Injera II
Ingredients
Directions
Ferment the batter
Let the batter sit in a large bowl, covered, for an hour or longer until it rises and becomes stretchy. It can sit as long as 3–6 hours.
When ready, stir the batter if liquid has settled on the bottom.
Whip the batter in a blender, 2 cups at a time, thinning it with 1/2–3/4 cup water. The batter will be quite thin.
Cook the injera
Cook in a non‑stick frying pan without oil over medium or medium‑high heat.
Use 1/2 cup batter per injera for a 12‑inch pan or 1/3 cup batter for a 10‑inch pan.
Pour batter into the heated pan and quickly swirl to spread it as thin as possible. The batter should be no thicker than 1/8 inch.
Do not turn the injera over. The injera is cooked through when bubbles appear all over the top.
Lay each injera on a clean towel for a minute or two, then stack in a covered dish to keep warm. Finished injera will be thicker than a crepe but thinner than a pancake.
Serve
To serve, overlap a few injera on a platter and place stews on top.
Or lay one injera on each dinner plate and ladle stew servings on top.
Give each person three or more injera, rolled up or folded in quarters, to use for scooping up the stews.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Flour + wheattop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,373 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Self-rising flour
- Provides the main structure and, with yeast, lets the batter rise.
- Whole wheat flour
- Adds body and a slightly nutty, earthy flavor to the batter.
- Cornmeal or masa harina
- Adds texture and flavor to the batter.
- Active dry yeast
- Ferments the batter, producing bubbles and the stretchy, tangy character of injera.
- Warm water
- Hydrates the flours and activates the yeast, setting the batter's thinness for spreading.
The step that matters
Spreading the batter thinly and not turning the injera. The batter must be spread no thicker than 1/8 inch so it cooks through evenly. Turning it would break the bubbled surface and tear the thin sheet, so it is cooked from one side only until bubbles cover the top.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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