Today, we’re in Djibouti.
Djibouti is a country in Africa that is bordered by Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, and the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Once part of the colonial French empire, they gained their independence in 1977. It is also one of the smallest countries on the continent.
Djiboutian cuisine is a blend of African, French, and Middle Eastern influences. It was along the Spice Route and their food traditions include cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, saffron, cumin… you get the picture – rich and flavorful.
In looking for recipes, one dish kept coming up – a lamb stew – referred to as Skoudehkaris, Skoudekaris, or Skudahkharis – depending upon the page. Recipes also varied by cooking the rice in the stew or serving it over rice. I went for calling it Skoudehkaris and cooking the rice in the stew – less pots to clean up. Plus, the rice was able to absorb the wonderfully-flavored broth.
Being fairly ignorant about the foods and culture of the Horn of Africa, I was fortunate when I worked at UCSF to work with several Ethiopians, and even had the pleasure of attending an Ethiopian wedding – with traditional foods and homemade Tej – an Ethiopian Honey Wine. A staple of Ethiopian cuisine is a bread called Injera. A similar sounding bread made in Djibouti is Anjero. While they sound similar, they do have their differences… Ethiopian Injera is a tangy-sour, spongy bread made from teff and used as a staple with stews, while Djiboutian Anjera is generally made from wheat and sorghum and is sweeter and more crepe/pancake-like. Maybe the French influence?!? They have a similar cooking method, so I decided to give it a try.
Anjero
adapted from Travel Food Atlas
- 1 cup white corn flour
- ½ cup sorghum flour
- 1 Tbsp Instant dry yeast
- 4 cups self-raising flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups lukewarm water
In a large bowl, mix the white corn meal, sorghum flour, yeast and half of the water, making sure it is properly combined. Leave for one hour.
After one hour add in the self-rising flour and sugar, then slowly start adding the remaining water as you mix to get a smooth, lump-less texture for your batter.
The key to achieving the classic anjero taste is fermentation. The mix should rest in a warm place to allow the fermentation to take place. The minimum time would be a few hours but to achieve a more authentic, sour anjero taste, you can let the batter ferment for up to two days. For this recipe you can let the batter ferment overnight.
In a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat, ladle the batter mix into the pan according to preferred portion size, making sure that the batter spreads fully across the surface of the pan.
Cover the pan and cook for a few minutes per portion. The desired colour is a golden brown, and the texture should be spongy with no liquid remaining.
Plate the pancake and continue process until you each person has around 3 each.
Refrigerate leftover batter and use for lunch or for tomorrow’s breakfast.
I made half the recipe and made 4 breads with plenty of batter left over. One was enough for dinner. We’ll have them for lunch tomorrow! They were nice and chewy, and had a very mildly sour taste. I let the batter ferment for about 36 hours. I definitely need to work on my spreading technique…
The Skoudehkaris was really good. Lots of flavor from all the spices! I could have upped the cayenne a bit – we do like spicy – but the flavors were just really good. Everything blended perfectly. It’s a really simple recipe to put together – it just uses a lot of different spices – all of which should be pantry staples.
Skoudehkaris
adapted from Amira’s Pantry and other online recipes
- 1 pound lamb chunks
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- pinch saffron
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne or to taste
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup stock/ broth
- ½ cup long-grain rice
- salt & pepper to taste
In a large pot , heat oil, sauté onions for 2-3 minutes until translucent. then add cumin, cardamom, cayenne, cinnamon and cloves. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes more until onion is tender.
Add minced garlic and continue to cook for another 30 seconds.
Add the meat and stir to brown the meat well from all sides.
Pour in the canned tomatoes, broth, and saffron. Cover and let the meat cook until completely done.
Add the rice, salt and pepper and enough additional broth for your rice to cook. (if needed.)
Cover and let it cook until rice is done.
Another success! Next stop… E.
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That looks amazing – I love lamb, and this is an easier way to fix it than just roasting a leg in the oven. I’ve been to an Ethiopian wedding – the food was amazing (they didn’t have this dish, but what they served was delicious) and their tribal costumes were stunning. We felt so welcome there. We had a different cultural experience with a Vietnamese Buddhist wedding 15 years ago, and again, amazing food, and our hosts were so kind. We didn’t speak Vietnamese, and they sat us with an interpreter throughout the entire event. Thanks for posting this. If I can find the lamb (not all grocery stores in Georgia carry it), I’ll try this one out on my husband – I just won’t tell him it’s lamb! 🙂