Shafoot

1Preparation

1. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl, then whisk in the warm water to a smooth, pourable batter like pancake batter.
2. Cover and leave somewhere warm for an hour, until doubled and full of bubbles.
3. Crush the garlic and finely chop the green chili.
4. Whisk the buttermilk and yogurt in a bowl with the garlic, green chili, cumin and salt until smooth, then refrigerate.
5. Thinly slice the green onions.
6. Dice the cucumber small.

2Cooking

1. Heat a non-stick pan, pour in a ladle of batter and spread it with the back of the ladle into a thin round.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 1 min timer
2. Cover and cook on one side only, without flipping, until the surface is full of holes and dry and the underside is light golden.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 3 min timer
3. Repeat with the rest of the batter, stacking the breads to cool completely.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 20 min timer

3Serving

1. Tear the lahoh into large pieces and layer them in a deep serving dish.
2. Pour the cold buttermilk mixture over the lahoh and leave in the fridge for 15 minutes to soak and soften.
3. Top with the mint, coriander, green onion and cucumber and serve cold.

💡 Tips & common mistakes

• Common mistake: pouring the buttermilk over warm lahoh — it turns gluey. Let the bread cool completely first.
• Do not flip the lahoh; holes on the top are the sign of success, and the lid cooks the surface.
• Do not soak it too long before serving or it falls apart; 15–30 minutes is enough.

🔁 Substitutions

• If you have no buttermilk, whisk 2 cups of yogurt with 1½ cups of cold water.
• To save time, lightly toasted thin Arabic bread can replace the lahoh.