Esh bil Laban — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Torn pieces of flatbread soaked in a tangy, garlicky yogurt sauce with a drizzle of spiced butter. This refreshing Chadian dish from the northern regions combines the simplicity of bread with the cooling richness of fermented dairy.

Ingredients

4 rounds flatbread, torn into pieces
500ml plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp salt
Fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1 Tear flatbread into bite-sized pieces and spread them across the bottom of a large serving bowl.
2 Mix yogurt with minced garlic, salt, and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth and evenly combined.
3 Pour the seasoned yogurt mixture over the torn bread pieces, ensuring all the bread is well coated and beginning to soften.
4 Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and cook until fragrant and the butter begins to brown slightly.
5 Drizzle the spiced butter over the yogurt-soaked bread. The sizzle of hot butter on cool yogurt is part of the experience.
6 Garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve immediately while the contrast of hot butter and cool yogurt is still vivid.

Did You Know?

This dish shows the culinary influence of Arab culture in northern Chad, where dairy-based dishes are more common than in the south due to the pastoral nomadic lifestyle.