How to Make Kisra♪ [Sudanese Cuisine]

This article shows you how to make Kisra!

If you'd like to learn more about what Kisra is, its history, and what makes it so appealing, please check out the page below!

How to Cook Kisra

Serves 4 (about 8–10 pieces)
Estimated cooking time: About 40 minutes (excluding proofing time)
Fermentation time: 12–24 hours
Difficulty：★★☆☆☆

Ingredients

• Sorghum flour…200g
• Water…500 ml
• Dry yeast… 1/4 teaspoon (about 1 g)
• Salt… 1/2 teaspoon

• Normally, you would use the starter from the previous batch to ferment the dough, but for beginners, we’ll use commercial yeast instead.

How to cook them

① Make the dough

Place 200 g of corn flour and 500 ml of water in a bowl, and mix well with a whisk until there are no lumps left.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of dry yeast and mix well.

② Let it ferment

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it ferment at room temperature (around 20–30°C) for 12–24 hours.

After fermentation, a slightly tart aroma will emerge, and small bubbles will appear on the surface.

③ Add salt

Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the fermented dough and mix gently.

As a general guideline, the dough should be slightly looser than crepe batter.

④ Bake

Preheat the skillet over medium heat for 2–3 minutes.

Do not add oil; pour in one ladleful (about 60 ml) of batter.

Tilt the frying pan and spread the mixture thinly.

⑤ Steam-bake

Cover and bake.

Once the surface is dry and lots of tiny holes have formed, it’s done.

Kisra is not usually turned over.

Once cooked, transfer to a plate and cook the rest in the same way.

Tips for Success

Make the dough a little loose

It's important to spread the Kisra as thinly as a crepe.

If the dough is too stiff, add water a little at a time to adjust the consistency.

Be careful of insufficient fermentation

Once it has fermented sufficiently, it develops a distinctive tartness.

If the sourness isn't strong enough, try extending the fermentation time by a few hours.

Cook over medium heat

If you use high heat, only the bottom will burn.

The key is to bake it slowly until the surface is dry.

References and Sources

• TasteAtlas – Kisra
• Sudanese Kitchen – Kisra Recipe
• FoodieAtlas – Kisra Recipe
• Applied Food Research「Sensory evaluation and consumer acceptance of Kisra」
• PMC「Quality attributes of Kisra prepared from sorghum flour」