Shiro wat, a vegetarian recipe from Ethiopia

Name: Shiro wat
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Ethiopia
Ingredients: 150 g chickpea flour (shiro); 2 large red onions, very finely chopped; 5 garlic cloves, chopped; 3 cm piece of ginger, grated; 2 tomatoes, grated or crushed; 2 tbsp berbere; 60 ml neutral oil; 900 ml hot water; Salt

Method

Cook the onions dry, with no fat at all, in a heavy pan for 8 minutes, stirring; they will release their water and soften.
Add the oil and continue over medium heat for 8 minutes, until the onions are golden and completely collapsed.
Stir in the garlic, ginger and berbere and cook for 2 minutes so the spices bloom in the oil without scorching.
Add the tomatoes and let them cook down for 5 minutes, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan.
Pour in the hot water, bring to a simmer, then rain in the chickpea flour while whisking without pause so no lumps form.
Simmer gently for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce coats a spoon and loses its raw flour taste.
Season with salt, loosen with a little water if needed, and serve scalding hot over 100% teff injera.

Shiro is Ethiopia’s everyday dish and a cornerstone of the fasting kitchen, which is entirely plant-based. Always sprinkle the flour in a fine stream into already-hot liquid, whisking all the while.

The techniques this recipe uses

Sweat the aromatics
Medium heat, no browning: the onion should turn translucent and sweet, not toasted.
Reduce
Uncovered, water leaves and flavour concentrates. It is done when the sauce coats the back of a spoon.

Frequently asked questions

How do I avoid lumps of chickpea flour?

Rain the flour in very finely over liquid that is already hot and simmering, whisking without pause. Tipped in at once, or into cold liquid, it seizes into lumps a whisk will not break up. If it happens, strain the sauce before returning it to the heat.

Why fry the onions dry, with no oil, at the start?

That first 8 minutes draws out their water and softens them before the oil arrives. They then melt completely instead of frying, which is what gives the sauce its smooth, piece-free body. It is a common move in Ethiopian sauces.

How do I know the sauce has simmered long enough?

It should coat the spoon and have lost its raw-flour taste, which takes 10 to 12 minutes on low heat after the flour goes in. Taste it: while any powderiness remains, keep going. It thickens further as it cools, so leave it slightly looser than you want it.

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Shiro wat

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

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Nutrition per serving

Frequently asked questions

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