Ingredients
Batter
- 300 gplain flour
- 150 gsorghum or maize flour
- 1/2 teaspoondried yeast
- 1 teaspoonsugar
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- about 700 ml warm water
To cook
- a little oil, for the pan
To serve
- thick plain yoghurt
- caster sugar, for dusting
- ghee or butter, melted
- sesame seeds, optional
Equipment
- a wide non-stick pan or a flat griddle
- a lid for the pan
Directions
- Put both flours in a large bowl. Add the dried yeast and the sugar. Add the warm water in gradually. Whisk it as you pour to avoid lumps. Whisk it into a thin smooth batter. It should be thinner than pancake batter. Hold back the salt until the morning.
- Salt slows the yeast down considerably. Fermenting it takes overnight. Cover the bowl over with a cloth. Leave it somewhere warm for eight to twelve hours. It should be bubbly and smell pleasantly sour.
- Stir the fermented batter down gently. Add the salt and stir it through. Check the consistency once more. Add warm water if it has thickened overnight. It must be thin to make the holes.
- Heat a wide non-stick pan over a medium heat. Too much oil stops the holes forming. Pour a ladle of batter into the centre. Use the back of the ladle to spread it.
- Work quickly before the batter sets. The surface goes from wet to matt. Cover the pan with a lid at this point. Give it about two minutes covered.
- Stack them with a cloth between if you like. Serving it is done warm and sweet. Set a cambaabur on a plate holes upwards.
- Spoon thick yoghurt over the surface. Dust caster sugar generously over that. Scatter sesame seeds if you want them. Tear a piece and fold it over the topping. It is best eaten warm from the pan.
Technique
- Dabshid is the Somali new year, a fire festival, and cambaabur is cooked for it as well as for Eid.
- The bread is cooked on one side only, and turning it would flatten the holes that give it its character.
Substitutions
- All plain wheat flour works, though sorghum or maize helps the texture.
- A cup of batter kept back from a previous batch works as a starter in place of yeast.
Variations
- Some households colour the batter with turmeric for a golden pancake.
- A savoury version served with stew rather than sugar is also made.
- Canjeero, the everyday version, is eaten at breakfast throughout the year.
History
Cooked for Eid and the Somali new year Dabshid, its batter left to ferment overnight like canjeero.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cambaabur?
Cambaabur is a bread & pastry from Somalia: lacy fermented pancake dusted with sugar and yoghurt, eaten at Eid. Cooked for Eid and the Somali new year Dabshid, its batter left to ferment overnight like canjeero.
How long does Cambaabur take to make?
Cambaabur takes 20 minutes plus overnight fermenting of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 8 pancakes. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Cambaabur?
Yes, within limits. All plain wheat flour works, though sorghum or maize helps the texture. A cup of batter kept back from a previous batch works as a starter in place of yeast.
What is the most important thing to get right in Cambaabur?
Stir the fermented batter down gently. Add the salt and stir it through. Check the consistency once more. Add warm water if it has thickened overnight. It must be thin to make the holes.
