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Mkatra foutra
Coconut milk flatbread
Mkatra foutra: Comorian yeasted coconut-milk flatbread with sesame, cooked in a covered pan
Before dawn in Moroni, women set heavy pans over charcoal to make mkatra foutra, and during Ramadan stacks of it appear at every iftar table. The dough is soft and sticky, raised with yeast and made rich with coconut milk instead of water, then patted into a thick round, scattered with sesame and baked slowly in a covered pan. It comes out golden and speckled outside, with a fluffy, slightly sweet, faintly coconutty crumb. Tear it with sweet spiced tea for breakfast, or use it to mop up a fish curry or mtsolola. Chef's tip: keep the heat low and the lid on; a hot pan burns the base long before the thick middle has cooked through, which is the most common mistake.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast1 sachet
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milkfull-fat, warmed to blood heat
- ¼ cup warm water
To cook
- 3 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl.
Step 2: Pour in 1 ¾ cups coconut milk and ¼ cup warm water and stir with a wooden spoon to a soft, sticky dough. Beat it in the bowl with the spoon, or your oiled hand, until it turns smooth and stretchy and pulls away from the sides.
8 minStep 3: Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place until doubled in size and full of bubbles.
60 minStep 4: Oil your hands and a 24–26 cm heavy frying pan with lid with half of 1 tbsp sunflower oil. Knock the dough back and divide it into 2 pieces.
Step 5: Press one piece into the cold pan with oiled fingers to a round about 2 cm thick. Sprinkle the top with half of 1 ½ tbsp sesame seeds and press the seeds lightly in. Cover and leave for 10 minutes to puff up again.
10 minStep 6: Set the pan over a low heat with the lid on. Cook until the base is golden brown and the top is set and dry to the touch.
10 minStep 7: Slide the bread onto a plate, then flip it back into the pan sesame-side down. Cook, uncovered, until the seeds are toasted and the bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
6 minStep 8: Move it to a rack, wrapped loosely in a clean cloth to keep the crust soft. Wipe the pan, add the rest of 1 tbsp sunflower oil and repeat with the second piece of dough and the rest of 1 ½ tbsp sesame seeds.
Step 9: Cut into wedges and serve warm. Wrapped and kept at room temperature, it is good for a day; reheat briefly in a covered pan.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mkatra foutra take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 85 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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