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Kicha Fit-fit

Name: Kicha Fit-fit
Prep time: 49 min
Total time: 1 h 31 min
Cuisine: Eritrean
Ingredients: all-purpose flour — 375 g; salt — 5 g; water — 300 g; vegetable oil — 27 g; tesmi — 120 g; berbere — 30 g; red onion — 100 g; ground cardamom — 3 g; salt — 3 g; plain yogurt — 125 g

Kicha Fit-fit reads salinity 4.5, richness 3.7 and funk & ferment 3.4 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Eritrean main, about 1 hr 31 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 5.0 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 2.1 / 10
Sour & Bright — 3.4 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 0.7 / 10
Rich & Fat — 3.9 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.2 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Salinity 4.5 · Richness 3.7 · Funk & Ferment 3.4 · Sourness 3.4 · Allium 2.8 · Floral 2.1 · Sweetness 1.8 · Warm Spice 1.8 · Umami 1.5 · Fruity 0.9 · Bitterness 0.6 · Herbaceous 0.6 · Nutty 0.5 · Earthy 0.5

What's in it (10)

all-purpose flour — 375 g
salt — 5 g
water — 300 g
vegetable oil — 27 g
tesmi — 120 g
berbere — 30 g
red onion — 100 g
ground cardamom — 3 g
salt — 3 g
plain yogurt — 125 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 31 min (49 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 158.9 kcal, 4.4 g protein, 3 g fat, 28.7 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (10 steps)

Make the kicha first. Combine the flour and the 1 teaspoon salt, add the warm water gradually and bring it together into a firm, slightly stiff dough. Kicha is unleavened - there is no yeast and no fermentation, which is exactly what separates it from injera and from the taita that the same kitchen makes for dinner.
Knead 8 minutes until smooth, then cover and rest 30 minutes.
Divide into 4 pieces and roll each into a round about 20 cm across and 4 mm thick.
Cook the rounds one at a time on a dry heavy skillet over medium heat, 3 minutes a side, until dry, freckled brown and stiffening at the edge. Press the puffing centre down with a folded cloth as it cooks.
Let the breads cool 10 minutes, then tear them by hand into rough 2 cm pieces. Hands, not a knife - fit-fit means torn, and the ragged edges are what soak up the butter.
Warm the tesmi in a wide pan over medium heat and cook the finely chopped onion in it for 5 minutes, until soft and translucent.
Stir in the berbere and the cardamom and let them cook in the fat for 90 seconds, until the berbere darkens a shade and stops smelling raw. Do not let it go past that or it will turn bitter.
Take the pan off the heat, add the torn kicha and the finishing salt, and toss hard with two spoons until every piece is coated red and glossy.
Pile it into a bowl and spoon the cold yogurt over one side, the way it is served at an Asmara breakfast table - the sour cold against the hot spiced butter is the whole dish.
Substitutions: plain ghee can stand in for the tesmi.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Ensalada Mixta — Argentine
Mediterranean Couscous — Mediterranean
Cacik — Turkish
Mujadara — Lebanese
Gardiane de Taureau — French · Languedoc

Keep reading: what salinity, richness, funk & ferment mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.