Ingredients
Starch
- 300 gbulla, dried enset starch
Liquid
- about 600 ml water
To enrich
- 80 gniter kibbeh, spiced clarified butter
- or plain butter
- salt
Sometimes
- berbere, for a spiced version
- honey or sugar, for a sweet version
- milk
To serve
- hot, with yoghurt or honey, to new mothers or the unwell
Directions
- Whisk the dried bulla into cold water until completely smooth before any heat is applied. Never add the dry powder to hot water, which seizes into hard lumps instantly. Whisk it thoroughly and pass it through a sieve if any lumps remain.
- Stir it again immediately before use, since the starch settles within a minute. Now the proportions you should use. Use roughly twice the volume of water to bulla as a starting point.
- Pour the slurry into a pan over a medium heat and stir constantly. It thickens suddenly and quickly, so do not walk away.
- Stir without stopping and scrape the base of the pan throughout. Now the change you should watch for. Cook it for another five minutes once it reaches that stage, so the raw starch taste goes.
- Beat in the niter kibbeh while the bulla is hot. Use it generously, since bulla is bland on its own and the butter is a main component.
- Beat it in thoroughly until the mixture is glossy and evenly coloured. Season with salt, and add a spoonful of berbere if you want it spiced. Now serving it out while still hot.
- Serve it hot, in a bowl, while it is still soft and springy. It stiffens considerably as it cools and it is not good cold.
Technique
- Enset is not a banana and produces no edible fruit.
- It cannot be eaten without months of fermentation processing.
- Bulla is the finest starch that settles from the squeezed pulp.
Substitutions
- There is no substitute for bulla.
- Plain clarified butter in place of niter kibbeh.
Variations
- Made sweet with honey and milk.
- Spiced with berbere.
- Kocho, the fermented enset flatbread.
History
The finest starch settles out of squeezed enset pulp; it is regarded in southern Ethiopia as strengthening food for new mothers and the sick.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bulla?
Bulla is a breakfast from Ethiopia: pale gelatinous enset starch cooked with butter into a springy porridge. The finest starch settles out of squeezed enset pulp; it is regarded in southern Ethiopia as strengthening food for new mothers and the sick.
How long does Bulla take to make?
Bulla takes 10 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Bulla?
Yes, within limits. There is no substitute for bulla. Plain clarified butter in place of niter kibbeh.
What is the most important thing to get right in Bulla?
Whisk the dried bulla into cold water until completely smooth before any heat is applied. Never add the dry powder to hot water, which seizes into hard lumps instantly. Whisk it thoroughly and pass it through a sieve if any lumps remain.
