Margarita's International Recipes

Eritrea

Hambesha Hambesha is a leavened fried bread that can be either savoury or sweet. I made a savoury version, which was surprisingly easy to make by using my electric mixer. However, I seem to have forgotten to have added the salt, as the result was a spongy bread, with a subtle cardamon flavor, but ultimately insipid. Unfortunately, I'm not 100% sure that I forgot the salt, so it may be that this recipe really needs more of it. If I made it again, I'd probably add another teaspoon of salt. My other problem was the pan. I didn't have a big enough pan for all this though and I didn't oil the sides enough, so it stuck to it. If I made it again, I'd probably just bake it in two batches. Hambesha Ingredients 1 1/4cup warm water 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground fenugreek seed 1/2 tsp coriander 1/2 tsp ground cardamon 1 egg 1 Tbsp oil 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour 2 1/2 tsp instant/Rapid Rise yeast Oil for frying Directions Place water, spices, egg, flour and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer and, using the hook attachment, knead for five minutes. Alternatively, knead it using your floured hands on a floured surface. Shape into a ball, cover with a kitchen towell, and leave in a warm place to rise for an hour. Generously oil a very large frying pan. Using your floured hands, spread the dough to cover the pan, so it's about 3/4” thick. Cover pan and allow to rise until it doubles in volume, another hour. Decorate the bread with knife marks. Place the frying pan on the stove and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Flip bread and bake another 5 minutes. Serve with butter. Adapted from a recipe at Eritrea.be Eritrean Recipes | Marga's International Recipes | Marga's Best Recipes | Marga's Food Blog | E-mail