Kisra (Sudanese Thin Fermented Sorghum Flatbread)
Local name: كسرة
In short: Paper-thin, lightly sour sorghum flatbread made from a fermented batter and cooked on one side only. A Sudanese staple for scooping up mulah stews. It takes about 45 min in total and makes 4 servings.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Resting
- 24 h
- Total
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Challenging
- Calories
- 260 kcal
Kisra is the thin, slightly sour flatbread of Sudan, stacked on a plate and eaten with mulah stews. A batter of sorghum flour and water is left to ferment for a day or more, then spread very thin on a hot griddle and cooked on one side only, so it comes off as a pale, lacy sheet in under a minute. Diners tear off pieces and scoop up sauce. Patience is the main skill here.
Instructions
- Whisk the sorghum flour, water and salt in a large bowl until completely smooth. Cover loosely with a cloth.
- Leave the batter at room temperature, ideally 25 to 30°C (77 to 86°F), for 24 to 36 hours, stirring once or twice, until it is bubbly and smells pleasantly sour.
- Stir the batter and thin it with water until it flows like single cream.
- Heat a large nonstick pan or crepe pan over medium-high heat and wipe it with a lightly oiled paper towel.
- Pour in about 80 ml (1/3 cup) of batter and swirl quickly to spread it into a very thin round of about 22 cm (9 in).
- Cook for 45 to 60 seconds without flipping, until the top looks dry and matte and the edges lift. Slide the sheet onto a clean towel and cook the rest, stacking and covering them.
- Serve the kisra warm, torn into pieces, with mulah stew or a sauce for dipping.
Tips
- In a cool kitchen, stir in a spoonful of batter saved from an earlier batch to start the fermentation. The batter should smell sour and be full of bubbles before you cook.
- The first sheet is usually a test. Adjust the pan heat and the thickness of the batter until the sheets set in under a minute and peel off easily.
Questions and answers
Why is kisra fermented?
Fermentation gives kisra its mild sour taste and a soft, flexible texture. It also makes the batter easier to spread very thin.
Is kisra the same as injera?
They are related flatbreads made from fermented batter, but Sudanese kisra is thinner and made from sorghum, while injera is thicker and spongy.
Can I store kisra?
Keep stacked sheets wrapped in a towel for a day, or refrigerate for 3 days. Warm them briefly in a dry pan before serving.
How long does it take to make Kisra (Sudanese Thin Fermented Sorghum Flatbread)?
About 45 min in total: 15 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Kisra (Sudanese Thin Fermented Sorghum Flatbread)?
About 260 kcal per serving, with 7 g of protein, 54 g of carbohydrates and 2 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 260 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 54 g |
| Fat | 2 g |
| Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Sodium | 290 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
