Bur shubaal is a traditional Somali pancake and is a popular street food. It was sold by street vendors and was available in the markets, in front of schools, offices, and neighbourhood gathering spots. It is a sweet, unleavened pancake that is great with tea for a quick breakfast on the go. Somalis like their bur shubaal to be extra sweet since it is served plain and with no toppings.

Bur shubaal pairs well with samosas, as most Somalis believe the two taste awesome together. It is another example of sweet and salty combinations in Somali food. Samosas are also paired with mahamri , puff puffs, and mashmash. When we want to pair the pancakes with samosas, we prefer to reduce the quantity of sugar. It is always easy to add extra sugar to the batter for the last two or three pancakes for anyone in the family who wishes to have them plain.

These pancakes are easier to prepare than mashmash and they are also much less oily. You do not need to rest the batter and they can be cooked as soon as you finish blending the ingredients. This makes them perfect as a last minute dish for the iftar table.

This recipe is from Hooyo Fadumo and our sons are very lucky to have her prepare the pancakes for them during Ramadan just as she used to make them in Somalia. The boys tell us the bur shubaal grandma makes taste better than the ones we make and that is because she uses more oil than we do. To make bur shubaal that taste exactly like the ones in Somalia, increase the quantity of sugar in the recipe to ½ cup and increase the oil for cooking from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon.

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Yields eight 6-inch (15 cm) pancakes