Ye'Injera Mulmul (Savory Wild Mushroom & Injera Stuffing)
የእንጀራ ሙልሙል·(yeh-een-jeh-rah mool-mool)
The Blended Table: First-Generation Holidays
In Ethiopia, a Mulmul is a celebratory bread. In the American Midwest, it’s the brilliant collision of two cultures on a holiday table. This diasporic genius takes the native mechanics of Enguday Firfir—a deeply savory mushroom stew soaked into torn teff injera—and bakes it into a crispy-topped stuffing that cuts right through a heavy spread. The grandmotherly secret here is dry-sweating your onions to a sweet jam before the fat ever hits the pan, then finishing with the aromatic Mekelesha spice off the heat. It demands zero compromise on technique, yet asks only forty-five minutes of your time.
Before you start
Stale the injera.
The most critical prep step is leaving your fresh injera out on the counter for at least two hours before cooking so it stales and holds its structure.
Preheat the oven.
Set your oven to 375°F before you begin cooking the mushrooms.
Ingredients
- red onions2 med
- Niter Kibbeh4 tbsp
- Berbere1 1/2 tbsp
- garlic4 med clove
- fresh ginger1 tbsp
- mixed mushrooms1 1/2 lb
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- dry white wine1/4 cup
- hot water1/2 cup
- injera1 lb
- Mekelesha Kimem1/2 tsp
- jalapeño1 small
Method
- 01
Dry-sweat the onions to build the Kulet.
Place a wide sauté pan over medium-low heat with no oil, adding the onions and cooking until they collapse into a translucent, jammy purple-brown paste, about 10 minutes.
- 02
Bloom the spices in the fat.
Stir in 3 tablespoons of the Niter Kibbeh and the Berbere, cooking the spices in the fat for 2 to 3 minutes until dark and rich.
- 03
Fry the aromatics and earth.
Add the garlic and ginger for 60 seconds, then toss in the mushrooms and salt, turning the heat to medium and cooking until they release their liquid and brown deeply.
- 04
Deglaze the pan and build the gravy.
Pour in the white wine to scrape up any caramelized bits, let the alcohol cook off for 2 minutes, then stir in the hot water and simmer.
- 05
Fold the injera into the sauce.
Turn the heat to low and gently fold handfuls of the torn, slightly dried injera into the pan until the spongy bread drinks up the sauce but doesn't turn to mush.
- 06
Finish with Mekelesha off the heat.
Turn off the heat entirely, then gently fold in the Mekelesha spice and the final tablespoon of Niter Kibbeh to preserve their volatile, aromatic oils.
- 07
Bake the stuffing to a crisp.
Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased 8x8-inch baking dish, pressing it into an even layer, and bake at 375°F for 15 minutes until the top is deeply satisfying and crisp. Garnish with jalapeño slivers.
Notes
Source day-old injera from a local market.
Fresh injera will disintegrate into a gummy paste when used as stuffing; buy it a day or two ahead, or leave it out on the counter to stale slightly.
Make the Kulet ahead of time for a faster weeknight.
You can cook down the onions, garlic, ginger, and berbere over the weekend and keep it in the fridge, cutting your active cooking time down to 15 minutes.
Adjust the heat of your Berbere.
Berbere blends vary wildly in spice level; smell and taste a pinch first, and if it's too fiery, start with 1 tablespoon and add a squirt of tomato paste to mellow it out.
From Heirloom Ethiopian.