A Morning in Ethiopia -- Dabo Kolo

We do things a little different on Fridays. Monday through Thursday we pretty much stick to our rigorous academic schedule (smile), but on Fridays we take the day for more adventuresome educational explorations. We do science projects, art projects, cooking projects. We read magazines and tons of library books. We listen to Bach and Chopin, very loudly. We watch Moody Science Videos and all sorts of other YouTube performances. And, we do Geography, which is always an adventure.

One Friday, we learned about children in Ethiopia from the Kids of Courage magazine. That was a day never to be forgotten by my littles, for we found their very favorite recipe. Dabo Kolo is a thrill for children to make AND it is healthy! Making Dabo Kolo has become a much anticipated event in our home. I hope your family enjoys it as much as we do!

The ingredients are really simple to put together. First, choose a recipe reader.

Stir together:
2 c. of whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sucanat
and a nice pinch of cayenne (the original recipe called for 1/2 tsp. but that was WAY too much for my kiddoes)

Add: 1/4 c. EVOO (that's extra virgin olive oil)
1/2 c. water

Knead this until it forms a smooth ball. We use our mixer so this is super-simple.

Then, as if measuring out things isn't fun enough, comes the thrilling part. Roll the dough into long snakes. With a platic knife (or with fingers), cut (or break) the dough into 1/2 inch long, bite sized pieces. Oh, the kids have a great time with this!


Cook in an ungreased skillet over medium-high heat until light brown on all sides. This is the parent part in our house. After I put a layer of the pieces in the skillet, I let them brown on the bottom. Then I flip and stir them around until they are browned on all sides. I remove them to a plate and start with another layer.


I always recommend multiplying recipes... you know, some for now, some for later. But, with this recipe, you may want to start with just one batch until you get the hang of stirring them in the skillet. Caveat: when you do make two batches, it doesn't mean you'll have some left over. They disappear FAST. Here, the littles are just waiting for the Dabo Kolo to cool: