Shiro wat
Local name : ሽሮ ወጥ
A velvety Ethiopian sauce of chickpea flour and berbere, simmered with melted onion, garlic and tomato.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
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 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.
