Shiro (Ground-Chickpea Stew)

Name: Shiro (Ground-Chickpea Stew)
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings (about 5 cups)
Cuisine: ethiopian
Ingredients: 1 (1-inch) cinnamon stick; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds; 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds; 1 teaspoon black peppercorns; 6 green cardamom pods; 3 allspice berries; 4 dried chiles de árbol, stemmed and seeded; 1/4 cup dried onion flakes; 3 tablespoons sweet paprika; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; 1 large red onion, coarsely chopped; 10 garlic cloves, peeled; 1/2 cup canola oil; 2 tablespoons homemade or store-bought berbere spice mix; Fine sea salt; 3 medium vine-ripened tomatoes (about 11 ounces), coarsely chopped; 1/2 cup chickpea flour; 1 to 2 jalapeños, stemmed and thinly sliced; Injera or baguette, for serving

Recipe from Ghennet Tesfamicael

Adapted by Samin Nosrat

Published Nov. 1, 2020

Shiro (Ground-Chickpea Stew) — Photograph by Heami Lee. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Rebecca Bartoshesky.

Total Time: 20 minutes
Rating: 4(649)
Comments: Read comments

Shiro is a simple, silky ground chickpea stew that takes little time and effort to bring together. In Eritrea and Ethiopia, it’s a most beloved and important dish — a vital source of flavor and protein. In those countries, it’s made with widely available shiro powder, a mixture of ground chickpeas, garlic, onion and spices. This version, based on Ghennet Tesfamicael’s recipe published in “In Bibi’s Kitchen,” by Hawa Hassan with Julia Turshen, cleverly suggests replacing shiro powder with chickpea flour and a homemade blend of berbere spice. You’ll be transported as your kitchen fills with the aroma of toasting warm spices and ground chilies. Traditionally, shiro is served alongside cooked greens and injera or other flatbreads. But it’s also delicious spread in a thick layer atop sourdough toast rubbed with garlic and finished with slices of tomato and a fried egg. —Samin Nosrat

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings (about 5 cups)

For the Berbere Spice Mix

1(1-inch) cinnamon stick
1tablespoon coriander seeds
1teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1teaspoon black peppercorns
6green cardamom pods
3allspice berries
4dried chiles de árbol, stemmed and seeded
¼cup dried onion flakes
3tablespoons sweet paprika
½teaspoon ground ginger
½teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

For the Shiro

1large red onion, coarsely chopped
10garlic cloves, peeled
½cup canola oil
2tablespoons homemade or store-bought berbere spice mix
Fine sea salt
3medium vine-ripened tomatoes (about 11 ounces), coarsely chopped
½cup chickpea flour
1 to 2jalapeños, stemmed and thinly sliced
Injera or baguette, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Prepare the spice mix: Place cinnamon, coriander, fenugreek, peppercorns, cardamom and allspice in a small heavy skillet set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the smell is very aromatic and spices are lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool.
Step 2
Transfer the mixture to a clean coffee grinder, add the chiles and onion flakes, and grind to a fine powder (or use a mortar and pestle). Transfer the ground spices to a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, and sift. Regrind whatever large pieces remain in the sieve, and add them to the bowl with the ground spices. Add the paprika, ginger and nutmeg. Whisk well to combine, and transfer the mixture to an airtight jar. (Makes about ½ cup.)
Step 3
Prepare the shiro: Place the onion and garlic in a food processor, and pulse until very finely minced, stopping periodically to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure even chopping. Set aside.
Step 4
Set a large Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-low heat. When the pot is warm, add oil, onion purée, 2 tablespoons berbere and a large pinch of salt. Stir to combine, then cover pot, and let aromatics cook gently while you prepare tomatoes.
Step 5
Place tomatoes in the food processor, and pulse until puréed. Add to onion mixture, and increase heat to high. When mixture boils, reduce heat to low, and whisk in chickpea flour. The mixture will be quite thick, like peanut butter. While stirring, slowly pour in 2 cups water in a thin stream to loosen the mixture. Keep stirring until the mixture becomes smooth and integrated.
Step 6
Increase heat to medium-high to bring shiro to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes to cook off the raw taste of the chickpea flour and integrate all the flavors. Stir in the jalapeños and season to taste with salt.
Step 7
Serve immediately. (Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a few days. Store unused berbere in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months.)

Ratings

4 out of 5

649 user ratings

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Comments

Ken4 years ago

Good shiro is a treat. You can buy the Ethiopian spice mix on-line for just a few dollars and save yourself all the time and money buying ingredients to make your own.

Spatchcock4 years ago

If you can't find chickpea flour in your local market, go to a South Asian market, where it's called besan.

dona4 years ago

Thanks for supporting Kalustyan’s-NYC’s 76 year old spice and specialty food shop! We carry 2 types of Shiro powder as well as Berbere spice blend and chickpea flour. Full disclosure- I’m the manager.

DC Dennis1 month ago

This recipe has a horrendous omission. Don't just simmer the onions and garlic a little at low heat as you prep the tomatoes, which takes no time. Cook those babies long enough to get the raw onion taste out of them. I made the mistake of following the instructions and got onion sauce with tomato and spice, rather than anything like the shiro I have eaten often for over a decade at DC's plethora of good Ethiopian restaurants.

nat4 months ago

I made this with canned chickpeas (1 can made a little extra—I threw it all in). Put them in the oven at 250F for a couple hours, then turned it down to 200F because they were starting to brown. All told, I think they were in there about 4 hours. Ground them in a $15 blender, worked just fine. The added chunkiness made this almost the texture of bolognese, which I really liked. Next time, I would probably grind more finely to better replicate flour. Because of some substitutions I had to make, this was less spicy than I imagine it normally would be, but the flavor was so strong that I didn’t miss the spice. Delicious!

jessica9 months ago

Can you use canned tomatoes? Like San Mariano?

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