Recipe
🍳 BREAKFAST
Gurasa
A thick, soft Sudanese griddle pancake eaten with a stew or with sugar and ghee for breakfast.
Sudanese · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 20 min
~360 cal · 10g protein · 76g carbs · 1g fat · 3g fiber · 3g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Gurasa is a thick, soft griddle pancake or flatbread from Sudan, a batter or dough of flour cooked on a hot pan into a spongy, tender round, somewhat like a thick crumpet. It is a versatile staple eaten for breakfast either savory, with a stew ladled over it, or sweet, with sugar and .
Softer and thicker than the region's thin , gurasa has a comforting, bread-like quality that makes it satisfying and filling. Its ability to soak up sauces makes it a natural partner to Sudanese stews.
In Khartoum and across Sudan, gurasa is home and everyday food, made in family kitchens to start the day or to accompany a shared meal.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and 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
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
as needed warm water
to taste honey, to serve
to taste oil, to serve
Instructions
1
Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and warm water into a thick, smooth batter.
2
Rest the batter 15 minutes.
3
Spread rounds thickly onto a hot greased griddle.
4
Cook until set and pale gold, flipping once.
5
Serve warm with honey and oil, or with a stew.
Khartoum tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Khartoum. Peanut is a sauce ingredient here rather than a snack. Dakwa, ground peanut, goes into stews and into salads such as salata aswad, made with grilled aubergine. Breakfast is fuul, fava beans cooked soft and dressed with sesame oil and crumbled white jibna cheese.
🗺️
Sudan. Sudanese ful is dressed differently from the Egyptian version: sesame oil poured over rather than olive oil, crumbled white cheese on top, and the beans mashed only partly. Sesame is a major Sudanese crop, which is why its oil rather than another turns up at breakfast. Karkade, hibiscus steeped and cooled, is the drink alongside.
🌍
Africa. Much of what reads as timeless African cooking is younger than the Atlantic crossings. Maize, cassava, groundnut, chilli and tomato all arrived from the Americas after 1500 and pushed older crops aside; millet, sorghum, teff, yam and fonio are the ones that were already here, and the map still shows the join.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Sudan
Bamia (Sudanese Okra Stew)Tender lamb and okra simmered in a garlicky tomato broth spiced with black lime, Sudan’s everyday comfort, scooped with kisra.
ShaiyahStrips of lamb quickly fried with onion, peppers, and spices, a popular Sudanese meat dish for gatherings.
Basbousa (Semolina Cake in Syrup)A tender semolina cake enriched with yogurt and coconut, soaked in lemon syrup, a much-loved Sudanese sweet.
Browse all Sudan recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Griddle or flat pan, 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 Sudan meal
Jabana (Sudanese Spiced Coffee)Drink
Basbousa (Semolina Cake in Syrup)Dessert
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Frequently asked questions
What is Gurasa?
A thick, soft Sudanese griddle pancake eaten with a stew or with sugar and ghee for breakfast.
Where does Gurasa come from?
Gurasa is a Sudanese dish from Khartoum, Sudan.
Can Gurasa be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Gurasa 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 Gurasa 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 Gurasa take to make?
About 35 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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