Ingredients
Injera
- 10injera, a day or two old
- or freshly made injera
Sometimes added
- a little niter kibbeh, melted
- berbere, for a spiced version
- salt
Equipment
- baking trays
- an oven or strong sun
- airtight containers
Directions
- Discard any with mould on it entirely. Preparing the injera takes a moment. Lay each injera out flat first.
- Tear or cut it into large pieces. Smaller pieces dry faster and more evenly. Spread the pieces on clean trays or mats. Set them in strong direct sun. Turn them over every hour or so.
- Bring them in before the evening damp. Repeat the next day if they are not brittle. Cover them with a net against insects. Heat the oven to its lowest setting. About 100C is right for this work.
- Spread the pieces on baking trays. Do not overlap them at all there. Turn them once halfway through. Judging when it is done is essential.
- Take a piece out and let it cool. It should break with a sharp clean snap. Let the pieces cool entirely on the trays. Never put warm sheets into a container.
- Put the dried sheets in an airtight container. Keep it somewhere cool and dry. It keeps a month or more that way.
- Check it occasionally for any dampness. Eating it dry is one way of it. Break off pieces and eat them as they are. Crumble the sheets into a bowl. Pour hot stew or sauce over them.
Technique
- Injera is the Ethiopian fermented flatbread, traditionally made from teff, and fresh injera keeps only a couple of days before spoiling.
- Ethiopian Orthodox fasting days make up much of the year, and dried injera is food that keeps and travels for those days and for long church vigils.
- The sheets must snap cleanly when cold, since any leathery patch means moisture remains and the batch will grow mould.
Substitutions
- Any injera works, including bought injera and injera made with a teff and wheat mix.
- An oven on its lowest setting with the door propped open is more reliable than sun drying.
Variations
- Some households brush it with niter kibbeh or dust it with berbere before drying.
- It is eaten dry as a snack or crumbled into stew as fitfit.
- Fitfit is also made with fresh injera when it is available.
History
Drying injera preserves it for weeks, making it food for journeys, fasting days and long church vigils.
Frequently asked questions
What is Dirkosh?
Dirkosh is a snack from Ethiopia: injera dried to brittle sheets, nibbled dry or crumbled into stew. Drying injera preserves it for weeks, making it food for journeys, fasting days and long church vigils.
How long does Dirkosh take to make?
Dirkosh takes 10 minutes of preparation and 3 hours drying of cooking. The recipe makes about 20 sheets. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Dirkosh?
Yes, within limits. Any injera works, including bought injera and injera made with a teff and wheat mix. An oven on its lowest setting with the door propped open is more reliable than sun drying.
What is the most important thing to get right in Dirkosh?
Spread the pieces on baking trays. Do not overlap them at all there. Turn them once halfway through. Judging when it is done is essential.
