Ingredients
Base
- 4 piecesof injera
- fresh or a day old
To brush
- 80 gniter kibbeh
- Ethiopian spiced butter
- or 80 g butter with a pinch of spices
- 3 tablespoonsberbere
- or 2 tablespoons mild chilli powder
Sometimes added
- a little salt
- crumbled ayib, fresh cheese
- chopped spring onion
To serve
- tea or coffee
- as a snack between meals
Directions
- Butter is melted with spices and aromatics. It keeps for months without refrigeration. Melt butter slowly in a heavy pan. Add crushed garlic and grated ginger. Add cardamom, fenugreek and korarima. Let it bubble gently for thirty minutes.
- Strain it through a cloth and let it set. Plain butter works if niter kibbeh is unavailable. Warm it with a little garlic and cardamom. Preparing the injera takes a moment.
- Take one whole piece of injera bread. Lay it out flat on a chopping board. Cut it into a manageable size if it is large.
- Heat up a dry pan or a flat griddle. Use a medium heat rather than fierce. Lay the injera on it completely flat. Injera has a smooth side and a holed side.
- Turn it over onto the holed side. Give it another full minute on there. Melt the niter kibbeh if it is set. Brush it generously over the injera.
- Use the holed side of it for this. Do not be shy with the quantity. Scatter berbere evenly over the butter.
- Use as much as you like the heat of. Add a little salt if you want it. Return it to the pan for a minute. Do not let the berbere burn at all. Roll it up or fold it into quarters. Or cut it up into long thin strips.
Technique
- Injera is made from teff, a tiny ancient grain native to Ethiopia and the smallest cultivated grain there is, not from millet; the atlas tags this dish under millet, but teff is what injera is made from.
- A day-old piece of injera goes slightly dry and stiff, which is exactly what kategna wants, since fresh soft injera does not crisp as well; it is a genuine use for what is left over.
- Niter kibbeh is butter clarified with garlic, ginger, fenugreek and korarima and then strained, keeping for months without refrigeration; plain butter warmed with a little garlic and cardamom is the workable substitute.
Substitutions
- Plain butter warmed with garlic and cardamom stands in for niter kibbeh.
- A mild chilli powder can replace berbere, though it lacks the complexity.
Variations
- Some households crumble ayib, the fresh cheese, over the top.
- Chopped spring onion is added in some homes.
- It is rolled, folded or cut into strips to eat.
History
A quick home snack made from the day’s leftover injera, often the first thing offered to a hungry child.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kategna?
Kategna is a snack from Ethiopia: injera toasted crisp and brushed with spiced butter and berbere. A quick home snack made from the day’s leftover injera, often the first thing offered to a hungry child.
How long does Kategna take to make?
Kategna takes 5 minutes of preparation and 10 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Kategna?
Yes, within limits. Plain butter warmed with garlic and cardamom stands in for niter kibbeh. A mild chilli powder can replace berbere, though it lacks the complexity.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kategna?
Heat up a dry pan or a flat griddle. Use a medium heat rather than fierce. Lay the injera on it completely flat. Injera has a smooth side and a holed side.
