Canjeero with beef stew & chopped salad

If you don’t have access to an ongoing canjeero batter, you can make the mix and part ferment it over 24 hrs to get it started. If you want to make the canjeero without the stew, serve them as they do in Somalia, as a breakfast dish, drizzled with ghee or melted butter and sprinkled with sugar. As Suad says, ‘breakfast in a Somali household is not breakfast without canjeero.’

SERVES 4 PREP 15 mins plus 24 hrs fermenting COOK 45 mins EASY G

250g plain flour

65g coarse polenta or maize flour chilli sauce, to serve For the stew

600g chuck steak, finely chopped ghee or vegetable oil, for frying 400g can chopped tomatoes

1 onion, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 tsp each toasted cumin

seeds and coriander seeds, ground using a pestle and mortar

For the salad

1 small lettuce, finely chopped bunch spring onions, Ω finely chopped small bunch parsley, finely chopped

400g cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 green chilli, finely chopped (optional)

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 The day before you want to make the canjeero, mix the two flours together in a bowl and gradually whisk in 400ml warm water. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to part ferment for about 24 hrs. It should have the consistency of thick cream or pancake batter with tiny bubbles on top.

2 To make the stew, heat 2 tbsp ghee or oil in a large pan over a high heat and cook the steak for about 10 mins until well browned all over. Meanwhile, mix together the tomato, onion, garlic, spices and 1 tsp salt in a jug. Pour into the pan with the meat and stir well, then reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 2 hrs until the beef is tender and the sauce is rich and thick. Stir every now and then and top up with a splash of water if the pan begins to dry out before the beef is tender.

3 To make the salad, toss together the lettuce, spring onion, chilli (if using), parsley and tomatoes, and season to taste with the lemon juice and salt. Set aside.

4 About 30 mins before the beef is cooked, make the canjeero. Add a big pinch of salt to the batter and heat a non-stick pan over a high heat. Put a ladeful of the mixture into the pan, and use the back of the ladle to spread the mix out in a circular motion to form a thin circle (the size of a dinner plate), about 1/4 cm deep.

5 Cook the canjeero for 2 mins on one side, then cover the pan with a lid so the top of the canjeero steams. Slide onto a plate and cover with a clean tea towel. Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking the cooked canjeero under the cloth. Serve the canjeero with the beef stew, chopped salad and some chilli sauce on the side.

GOOD TO KNOW folate • fibre • vit c • iron • 2 of 5-a-day PER SERVING 663 kcals • fat 22g • saturates 10g • carbs 71g • sugars 11g • fibre 8g • protein 42g • salt 1.4g