Can you guess what INJERA is?

A sudden desire to try out something new led the family to Bonna Annee restaurant for Ethiopian food. A couple of circles between directions and GPS led us to a simple unaffected restaurant in Al Qusais.
The tables were low, and round. You order the food, and first a large round platter arrives. This is soon covered by a super large piece of bread called injera. It's made from a grain - actually a seed - called teff. Since I love the back story, here goes: teff comes from the Amharic word tff which means lost. The seed is so tiny that it can easily get lost. Injera is made from slightly fermented teff. Everything is served in portions around the one plate.
I ordered lamb, beef and collard greens. The food was served in portions around the entire plate with some rough chopped green chillies tossed onto the lot. Everybody eats off the same plate. Interesting, and quite tasty, in fact. You could sneak in some cutlery if you're fussy about things like that. We aren't, and dug in quite happily. The chilly sauce was mild and had a smoky flavour. Extra injera is served up as required. The food was inexpensive (lower end of mid-range) and the only thing to improve the menu would be dessert. Judging by the numbers of Ethiopians dining there (we checked with serving staff) the food is authentic.
The experience took me back to my village where as kids, we'd be three or so cousins around large bronze thaals (plates) in the cold of a Punjab winter. Dele ka achaar, and smoke from the chulha. sudden nostalgia.
We're giving you a rundown of popular ethiopian dishes to try
Injera
An east African sourdough-risen flatbread, this one is the national dish of Ethiopia. Got to eat it with other stuff, naturally. Made of fermented teff flour, injera is baked on a large, black clay pot. Now, teff is a tiny, iron-rich grain that contains no gluten, which is why you can't make raised bread with it. Injera, spongy and slightly sour, can be dressed up with spices and eaten with meat or veggies. As you like.
Fit-fit
Also known as fir-fir, usually a breakfast dish. Made from shredded flat bread, spiced clarified butter, onions and berbere (spice mix includes chilli peppers, garlic, ginger, basil, and a bunch of more stuff). May not look all that appealing but looks aren't everything. Fit-fit is eaten with chilli peppers and yoghurt on the side. And if you want to have it the traditional way, serve fit-fit atop another piece of injera. Roll it up and enjoy.
Dabo Kolo
This is like popcorn, except it's roasted barley. The name means 'snack bread'. Tiny and crunchy, it is spiced with berbere, sweet paprika and other spices to give off a unique aroma. Made with wheat flour and baked, it's healthier than most snacks around! Look up a recipe and try making at home.
Tibs
Something of a party dish, tibs is prepared on special occasions. Basically: sautéed meat and vegetables served in any number of ways, depending on the cuts of meat used. Some have their tibs with little or no vegetables. Spiciness can range from hot to mild. A dish loaded with flavour, it can be compared to grilled meat; close but not the same thing. Also known as tebs, t'ibs, tibbs...
Wat
A stew or curry made with chicken, beef or lamb and any number of vegetables or sliced boiled eggs. There are many variations of wat, that depend on the ingredients. One of the variations, doro wat is the most traditional. Chicken, red onions and berbere are slow-cooked for hours till you get the right blend of flavours. Like most Ethiopian dishes, wat is eaten with injera but you may not find this in most restaurants because it takes hours to make.
Designed by Rajendran. Curated by  Milrina Martis (KT intern) and Nivriti Butalia