Ethiopian recipe
How to make Shiro
ሽሮ
Northern Ethiopia and Eritrea
A smooth, thick stew made from powdered chickpeas or broad beans, cooked with onions, garlic and spices. It is cheap, quick and filling, eaten in homes every day, and often brought to the table still bubbling in a small clay pot.
Ingredients
- 100 g shiro powder (spiced ground chickpea flour, sold in Ethiopian shops)
- 1 red onion, very finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 small tomato, chopped (optional)
- About 600 ml water and salt to taste
Method
- Cook the onion in a dry pan over a low heat for 5 minutes, then add the oil, garlic and tomato and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Add about 500 ml of water and bring it to the boil.
- Sprinkle in the shiro powder a little at a time, whisking all the time so that no lumps form.
- Simmer over a low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often. Add more water if it becomes too thick; it should be like a thick soup. Take care, as it can spit.
- Add salt to taste and serve hot with injera.
Made it at home? Tick it off and it goes into your kitchen passport.
Shiro stirred together with torn pieces of injera and eaten with a spoon is called shiro fit-fit.
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