Injera Firfir

Injera Firfir

Firfir is an Ethiopian way of turning yesterday’s injera into a meal: you tear it into pieces and mix it into an onion, tomato and berbere sauce until it absorbs flavor but does not dissolve. There are many versions, including quanta firfir with dried meat; here is the vegan, accessible version.

Prep time: 15 minutes · Cooking time: 25 minutes · Yield: 6 servings · Difficulty: easy

Add the injera at the last moment

The sauce should be thick before the injera goes in. If it is watery or the mixing goes on too long, you get mush. Pieces of 4–5 cm keep their texture.

Ingredients (for 6 servings)

• 600 grams day-old injera, torn into pieces
• 500 grams chopped onion
• 75 ml olive or canola oil
• 400 grams crushed tomatoes
• 80 grams tomato paste
• 4 garlic cloves and 20 grams ginger, chopped
• 1–2 tablespoons berbere
• 1/2 teaspoon korarima or cardamom, salt
• 150–250 ml hot water

Choosing ingredients and substitutes

Fresh injera is too soft; leave it partly covered overnight in the fridge. Injera bought from an Ethiopian restaurant or bakery in Israel works, but weigh it, because the size varies. You can make it with another bread, but then it isn’t injera firfir.

Method

1. Soften the onion. Cook the onion in a wide pot without oil for 12–15 minutes, until soft and almost dry.
2. Build the sauce. Add the oil, garlic, ginger and berbere for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and paste and cook for 8–10 minutes until thick.
3. Adjust the texture. Add 150 ml water, the korarima and salt. The sauce should coat a spoon; add more water only if it is very thick.
4. Fold in the injera. Add the pieces and fold gently for 2–3 minutes, just until they are hot and coated. Serve immediately.

Nutrition facts and calorie estimate

The calculation assumes 600 grams of injera at about 165 calories per 100 grams. Thick injera or injera mixed with wheat will change the value.

Variations and tips

• For extra vegan protein, mix 300 grams of cooked chickpeas into the sauce before the injera.
• Serve with a cold tomato salad to balance the heat.
• Firfir doesn’t keep well for long; leftovers keep for one day and will soften.

Summary

Good firfir keeps recognizable pieces of injera inside a thick sauce. A serving is about 330 calories. To make the bread from scratch, see injera.