Injera

Step 1: Day 1: whisk 16 oz teff with 3 ¼ cups lukewarm water in a large glass or plastic bowl until smooth, like a thick pancake batter. Cover loosely with a cloth and leave at warm room temperature.

Step 2: Day 2: you should see small bubbles and a faint sour smell. A layer of yellowish liquid may form on top; leave it. Stir once and cover again.

Step 3: Day 2 or 3: when the batter smells clearly tangy (like natural yoghurt) and is full of bubbles, it is ready. Carefully pour off the liquid that has collected on top and discard it.

Step 4: Make the absit to help it rise: bring 1 cup water to the boil in a small pan. Stir in 120 ml of the fermented batter and whisk constantly over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes until it thickens into a smooth paste, like porridge.

Step 5: Let the paste cool until warm, then whisk it back into the main batter with ½ tsp salt. Add water a little at a time until the batter is as thin as single cream. Cover and leave for 30–60 minutes, until the surface is bubbly again.

Step 6: Heat a large non-stick frying pan (28–30 cm) with a lid over a medium-high heat. Wipe with a few drops of 1 tsp vegetable oil on paper towel. Test: a drop of water should dance and evaporate.

Step 7: Pour a ladleful of batter in a spiral starting from the outside and working to the centre, so it covers the pan thinly. Tilt slightly to fill any gaps; don't spread it with a spoon.

Step 8: Cook uncovered for about 30 seconds, until holes appear all over the surface. Cover with the lid and cook for 1–2 minutes more, until the top is dry and no longer shiny and the edges lift away. Don't flip it; injera is cooked on one side only, and flipping is the most common beginner mistake.

Step 9: Slide it onto a clean tea towel to cool, holey side up. Don't stack injera until they have cooled for a minute, or they stick together. Wipe the pan and repeat with the rest of the batter.

Step 10: Once cool, stack and wrap in a clean cloth. Injera keeps for 2 days at room temperature and can be frozen.