Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Kisra with Mulah
Thin, tangy fermented sorghum flatbread torn to scoop up mulah, a rich okra and meat stew, the everyday staple pairing of South Sudan after asida.
South Sudanese · medium · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 60 min
~737 cal · 47g protein · 77g carbs · 28g fat · 11g fiber · 6g sugars · 9g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
↓ Jump to Recipe
AI-generated illustration
is the thin, faintly sour flatbread of Sudan and the second great staple of South Sudan after asida. A batter of flour and water is left to until it turns tangy and bubbly, then poured in a thin layer onto a hot greased pan and cooked on one side into a soft, pliable sheet, stacked layer on layer.
At the table works like edible cloth: pieces are torn off to scoop up mulah, the family of stews that go with it. The most common is a mulah of with onion, tomato and tender meat, sometimes enriched with a spoon of groundnut paste, though the bread is just as happy with a lentil or vegetable mulah.
Making the batter is a matter of patience rather than skill; give the fermentation its full time for the proper tang, then keep the poured layer thin so each sheet stays supple.
Saved recipes and passport stamps are kept on this device. Sign in to keep them across your devices and leave reviews.
Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
2 cups flour
about 3 cups, plus more to thin warm water
1/2 tsp salt
500 g beef, lamb or goat, cubed (for the mulah)
2 cups , sliced
1 large onion, diced
3 tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cups water or
Instructions
1
Whisk the sorghum flour with the warm water into a smooth, thin batter. Cover and leave at room temperature 12 to 18 hours, until lightly sour and bubbly.
✎ Chef’s note
The overnight ferment is what gives kisra its signature tang and supple texture; do not rush it.
2
For the mulah, brown the meat in the oil, then add the onion, garlic and coriander and cook until soft. Add the tomatoes and the water or stock and simmer until the meat is tender, about 45 minutes.
3
Add the okra and simmer until the stew thickens, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
4
Stir the salt into the fermented batter and thin with a little water until it pours like thin cream. Heat a lightly oiled nonstick pan and pour in a thin layer, swirling to spread.
5
Cook each kisra on one side only until the surface sets and the edges lift, about a minute, then stack on a plate. Serve the sheets with the mulah for scooping.
South Sudanese and Sudanese staple.
Ratings & reviews
Cooked it? Rate this dish:
No account needed. Sign in to leave a full review with a comment.
Cooked it?
Kept on this device, no account needed. Sign in to leave a review and keep your passport across your devices.
No reviews yet, be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Juba. Asida belongs to the same family as ugali, posho, sadza, pap and fufu under other names, and the flour has to be sorghum, millet or maize: wheat turns it sticky because of the gluten. A piece is moulded in the right hand with a dip pressed into it, and that is what carries the stew.
🗺️
South Sudan. Asida belongs to the same family as ugali, posho, sadza, pap and fufu under different names, and it is eaten with the right hand, a piece moulded into a scoop with a dip pressed into it. It has to be sorghum or millet flour: wheat turns sticky because of the gluten, which is a small practical reason a staple stayed where it was.
🌍
Africa. The structure repeats across most of the continent: one starch and one sauce. A grain or root is cooked stiff, torn or rolled by hand, and used to carry a stew of leaves, groundnut, okra or fish, usually from a shared bowl and with the right hand. UNESCO listings have followed that logic, inscribing couscous in 2020 as a shared Maghreb tradition and Ivorian attieke in 2024.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from South Sudan
WalwalThe Nilotic staple: sorghum or millet flour rolled by hand into couscous-like granules and boiled into a thick porridge, eaten with milk or thin yoghurt.
ComboSouth Sudanese greens in peanut sauce: leafy greens simmered with tomato and groundnut paste into a rich, creamy relish, eaten with rice.
KajaikFresh Nile fish simmered in a light tomato and onion stew, a staple lunch along South Sudan's rivers.
Browse all South Sudan recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Whisk.
Storing it: Best the day it is made. Wrap well and refresh in a warm oven, or freeze and reheat straight from frozen.
Make it a South Sudan meal
Aradaib (Tamarind Drink)Drink
Kuindiong (Semolina Pudding)Dessert
AseedaLunch
Similar dishes from around the world
DogramaTurkmenistan
ChakhchoukhaAlgeria
LahmajounArmenia
Emirati ThareedUnited Arab Emirates
LahmacunTurkey
Qatari ThareedQatar
Cuisine
Diet
Gluten-Free Recipes from Around the World
Dairy-Free Recipes from Around the World
Nut-Free Recipes from Around the World
Egg-Free Recipes from Around the World
Pork-Free Recipes from Around the World
Gluten-Free Dinners from Around the World
Dairy-Free Dinners from Around the World
Nut-Free Dinners from Around the World
Egg-Free Dinners from Around the World
Frequently asked questions
What is Kisra with Mulah?
Thin, tangy fermented sorghum flatbread torn to scoop up mulah, a rich okra and meat stew, the everyday staple pairing of South Sudan after asida.
Where does Kisra with Mulah come from?
Kisra with Mulah is a South Sudanese dish from Juba, South Sudan.
Can Kisra with Mulah be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Kisra with Mulah recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Kisra with Mulah safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Kisra with Mulah take to make?
About 80 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 60 minutes cooking), serving 4.
Get the Sunday Spin
One dish from somewhere in the world, in your inbox every Sunday. No spam, just dinner inspiration you can cook that day.