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Kitcha is an unleavened Ethiopian flatbread made with wheat flour, water, and salt. The dough is traditionally baked in a pan on both sides until it develops a golden-brown color of the exterior. The flatbread can be additionally spiced with chili and cardamom.
It is usually served warm with melted butter, or used in a dish called fit-fit.
What is Kitcha?
Kitcha (ቂቻ in Tigrinya, or ቂጣ in Amharic, kita), is a traditional unleavened flatbread typical of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. It comes in the form of a thin pancake with characteristic black spots on the surface, which often appear during cooking.
This traditional Ethiopian flatbread is often pan fried in clarified butter, giving it a somewhat crunchy exterior and a soft interior. It tastes finest when served warm.
Kitcha Recipe
Although composed of simple ingredients, making kitcha can be tedious when kneading by hand, or if the dough is not elastic enough when rolling out.
Once you master the basic recipe, you can add a few pinches or warm spices to the dough. Any of the spices or spice mixes below will work well here.
- Cinnamon
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Fenugreek
- Berbere, an Ethiopian spice blend
Tips for Making Kicha
It might seem intimidating to shape the dough in the hot pan, but there are some step you can take to do it successfully. Once you make Kicha a few times the approach will seem like second nature:
- Wet your fingers
- Work gently but quickly to press the dough out into a circle around the warm pan
Kneading the Dough
Traditionally, in Africa, kitcha is kneaded by hand. It is a process that may seem rewarding to some, but can be messy and tiring.
Today, the use of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook works very well to reduce the kneading time. In addition, it often leads to better results. It takes about 25 minutes to knead the bread dough by hand, compared to 8-10 minutes with a mixer.
What to Serve with Kicha
Ethiopian breakfasts are frequently served with hot coffee or tea, but this flatbread is endlessly versatile. You can enjoy it for breakfast with yogurt, eat it along with stewed greens, stew or just as a snack with butter.
Be sure to recreate this incredible delicacy flatbread recipe, Enjoy!
Kitcha
Ingredients
Kicha Fit Fit
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee
- 1 tablespoon berbere (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 batch Kicha (recipe below), torn into bite-size pieces (about 6 cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup plain yogurt
Kicha
- 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
Instructions
Kitcha fit fit
- Place the butter in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Once the butter melts, add the berbere and cook, stirring, until the spices sizzle and smell fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the kicha pieces and sprinkle with the salt. Cook, stirring, until all the pieces of kicha are coated with the spiced butter and warmed through, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a serving platter or individual bowls, top with the yogurt, and serve immediately.
Kitcha
- Place the whole wheat and all-purpose flours and salt in a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Using your hands, mix in the water. The batter will be like a very thick pancake batter.
- Line a plate with paper towels and set aside. Set a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil, tilting the pan so the oil lightly greases the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot, add half the dough to the skillet and use wet fingertips to gently and carefully press the dough into a wide circle that covers the surface of the skillet. Cover the skillet and cook until the top of the dough is glossy and the underside is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Carefully flip the bread over, cover, and cook until the second side is browned, another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer the flatbread to the prepared plate, adding the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, and repeat the process with the remaining dough.
- Serve immediately while the breads are warm, or let cool to room temperature to use for Kicha Fit Fit. Leftover breads can be stored in a plastic bag at room temperature for a day and rewarmed in a skillet over low heat.
