Name: Canjeero
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Somalia, East Africa
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; Â½ cup cornmeal, fine; 2Â½ cups warm water; 1 tsp instant yeast; 1 tbsp sugar; Â½ tsp salt; 2 tbsp butter, melted; 2 tbsp sugar, for sprinkling

Canjeero

Somali fermented pancake â€” spongy, slightly sour, and served for breakfast with butter, sugar, or stew.

Country

Somalia

Region

East Africa

Time

35 min

Serves

Level

medium

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Canjeero (also called laxoox or lahoh) is the Somali breakfast staple, similar to Ethiopian injera but lighter and thinner. The batter ferments overnight to develop its sour tang and bubbly texture. Every Somali morning begins with canjeero drizzled with butter and sugar, or topped with liver and onions for a hearty start.

What the dish tastes like

Somali fermented pancake â€” spongy, slightly sour, and served for breakfast with butter, sugar, or stew.

When to cook it

Best for everyday meals, with a medium cooking level and about 35 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Use the interactive recipe fallback or country hub to explore pairings.

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Vegetarian Africa is the main AfroKitchen collection route tied to this dish right now. Vegetarian Africa

Mix Batter

Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add warm water and whisk until smooth with no lumps. The batter should be thinner than pancake batter.

Ferment

Cover batter loosely and let ferment at room temperature for at least 3 hours, or overnight for best flavor.

Overnight fermentation gives the best sour flavor and bubbly texture.

Stir Batter

The batter will be bubbly. Give it a gentle stir. It should pour easily â€” add water if too thick.

Cook Canjeero

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Pour batter in a thin layer, swirling to cover. Cook until the surface is covered in holes and edges lift. Do not flip.

Like injera, canjeero is only cooked on one side â€” the top should be spongy with many eyes.

Cook one canjeero 02:00

Serve

Fold canjeero into quarters. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Or serve alongside stew for dipping.

For a traditional Somali breakfast, serve with suqaar (sauteed meat) and a cup of shaah (spiced tea).

Canjeero

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Step-by-step instructions

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