Kisra
Aperçu
Kisra, also spelled kissra, is the fermented flatbread of Sudan, South Sudan and Chad, made from sorghum flour left to ferment overnight and spread paper thin on a hot griddle. It is a staple rather than an accompaniment, and in Sudan its production has become a home based industry supplying households that no longer make it themselves. It comes in two forms. Kisra rhaheefa is the thin baked sheet, closely comparable to Ethiopian injera in appearance and in the lactic fermentation that produces it, though made from sorghum rather than teff. Kisra aseeda, also called aceda, is the same base cooked into a thick porridge instead. The two are eaten in different contexts and both are called kisra. The fermentation is what determines quality, and Sudanese cooks judge it by several variables at once: the sorghum genotype, the age and strength of the starter, the temperature and the time. Lactic acid bacteria and yeast do the work, producing the acids and alcohols that give kisra its sour flavour and its aroma. A weak or young starter gives a bland bread, which is why starters are kept going and shared between households.
Note de Patrimoine AFN
Kisra is a staple fermented sorghum flatbread of Sudan, South Sudan and Chad, produced through lactic acid and yeast fermentation. It exists in two documented forms: kisra rhaheefa, the thin baked sheet, and kisra aseeda, a thick porridge.
Ingrédients
Les mentions alimentaires sont fournies par les contributeurs à titre indicatif. Elles ne sont pas vérifiées par AFN et dépendent des produits que vous achetez. En cas d’allergie grave, vérifiez vous-même chaque ingrédient. Cuisine, allergies et votre propre jugement
Préparation
- 1
Mix the sorghum flour with 1 1/2 cups of water and leave to sit overnight, at least 12 hours, so it ferments.
- 2
The next day, stir in the all purpose flour and the last cup of water to form a thin batter.
- 3
Grease a wide pan lightly with sesame oil and set it over medium heat.
- 4
Ladle some batter into the pan and immediately spread it thin and smooth with a scraper held at about a 30 degree angle. This takes practice.
- 5
When the edges begin to curl up, the kisra is done. It should take only about a minute.
- 6
Stack the sheets on a plate and keep them warm under a cloth.
- 7
Let them cool before serving. They become considerably more flexible and less likely to crack once cooled.
Notes de l’Africook
Notes personnelles de Nympha Nzeribe- Give the sorghum a full twelve hours at least. Under fermented batter gives a bland bread with none of the characteristic sourness.
- Keep a little of each batch of batter back as a starter for the next one. A mature starter is what experienced cooks rely on and it strengthens with age.
- Spread the batter fast and thin. It sets almost on contact and hesitating gives you an uneven sheet.
- A scraper held at a low angle works better than a ladle for spreading. In Sudan a flat wooden tool is used for exactly this.
- Let the sheets cool before handling them properly. Warm kisra tears; cooled kisra folds.
- Expect the first few to fail. This is a technique that takes practice and every Sudanese cook says so.
Questions fréquentes
How is kisra different from injera?
The grain. Kisra is made from sorghum, sometimes with wheat flour added, and belongs to Sudan, South Sudan and Chad. Injera is made from teff and belongs to Ethiopia and Eritrea. Both are fermented flatbreads produced by lactic fermentation and both are used to scoop food, but they differ in flavour, texture and the tradition they come from.
What is the difference between kisra rhaheefa and kisra aseeda?
The form. Kisra rhaheefa is the thin baked sheet, spread on a griddle and cooked in about a minute. Kisra aseeda, also spelled aceda, is the same fermented sorghum cooked into a thick porridge instead of a bread. Both are called kisra and both are eaten with stews, but they are different preparations.
Why is my kisra not sour?
The fermentation was too short, too cold, or the starter was too young. Sorghum batter needs at least twelve hours, and longer in a cool kitchen. Keeping a portion of each batch as a starter for the next builds strength over time, which is why Sudanese households maintain and share starters rather than beginning from scratch.
What is kisra eaten with?
Sudanese stews, principally. Mullah, the family of stews made with meat, okra, peanut or dried vegetables, is the standard pairing, and kisra is used to scoop rather than eaten as a side. It also accompanies salatat aswad and other Sudanese salads.
Avis
3 avis
Left the sorghum flour with the 1.5 cups water on the counter for the full 12 hours overnight. That fermentation gives it such a lekker mild sourness! Holding the plastic scraper at 30 degrees took a bit of practice on the first two, but once you get the motion right it spreads so thin. Used unroasted sesame oil from Spar and it peeled right off the pan as soon as the edges started curling up.
The overnight fermentation is key sha, that sour taste from the sorghum flour is no be small thing. But abeg I needed to add almost half a cup more water the next day because 1 cup made the batter too thick to scrape properly. Once I thinned it out, it cooked in less than a minute o. E sweet die!
yoh that scraper technique is tricky my broer! First one turned out way too thick like a flop pancake but by the third try I sommer got the hang of spreading it super fast. The smell of that sesame oil when the edges start curling is so nice. Tastes great dipped in beef soup.