Ethiopian Shiro Wot (Spicy Floor Chickpea Stew)

This silky vegan Ethiopian Shiro Wot is so easy to make. It is also intensely fragrant and one of the scrumptious chickpea stews ever! A do-it-yourself berbere spice mix and vegan niter kibbeh add wonderful taste.

Ethiopian shiro in bowl with green chili peppers.

My favourite restaurant, which serves Ethiopian and Eritrean meals, has some wonderful vegetarian and vegan dishes on the menu. My favourite amongst these is shiro wot (or shiro wat), a silky ground-chickpea stew that is spicy, fragrant and past scrumptious.

Over my final two posts I shared with you recipes for berbere and vegan niter kibbeh (spiced olive oil). The aim was to get you began on making this shiro wot, a staple vegetarian dish in Ethiopia, and different Ethiopian dishes like vegan doro wot and misir wot. As soon as you start, you may be hooked.

Some Ethiopian dishes generally is a labor of affection to cook dinner, as a result of it takes time to develop all these unimaginable flavors. Not so with shiro, as a result of most of that work was already executed if you made the berbere and niter kibbeh. Now, you get to take a seat again (principally) and benefit from the fruits of your labor.

Desk of Contents

Table of Contents

Why you’ll love this recipe

Past scrumptious. I do know I say that about lots of recipes, however there merely isn’t any different option to describe this shiro wot. It’s so, so tasty, and I assure it’ll turn out to be one in every of your favourite Ethiopian meals. I often cannot look forward to dinner and discover myself consuming it out of the pot.
Easy. There actually is not a lot issue concerned in making this shiro. You are able to do it even when you’re not very used to cooking Ethiopian or any meals, however do comply with directions carefully. That is additionally a one-pot recipe.
Reasonably priced. Most vegetarian Ethiopian meals are economical, however none extra so than shiro. You do must make an preliminary funding within the spices, however purchase these in Indian or Ethiopian grocery shops the place they’re bought at significantly better costs than you’d get in well being meals shops or on-line.
Suited to all diets. This Ethiopian chickpea stew is gluten-free, nut-free and soy-free.

Shiro wat in a bowl with chili pepper garnish.

Elements

Onions. Use pink onions ideally.
Garlic
Vegan niter kibbeh. In case you are vegan you’ll have to make you personal as a result of retailer purchased variations are often made with butter.
Tomatoes
Berbere. A mix of heat spices, together with coriander, cardamom and pink chili peppers.
Paprika (non-obligatory). I add it primarily for the colour.
Chickpea flour
Jalapeno or different inexperienced chili pepper (non-obligatory). For garnish. This may add extra warmth to the stew so do not use it if delicate to warmth as a result of the berbere can also be spicy.

Easy methods to make shiro wot

1. Place the onions in a dry saucepan or Dutch oven (no oil). Add a beneficiant pinch of salt and saute over medium warmth till they begin to brown. Add water, a tablespoon at a time, if wanted to maintain them from sticking to the pan.

Niter kibbeh added to onions in saucepan.

2. Add 2 tablespoons of niter kibbeh and proceed cooking the onions till they’re very tender and brown. Stir steadily.

Caramelized onions with garlic in saucepan.

3. Add garlic and blend it in. Saute a few minutes.

4. Stir within the tomatoes and blend.

5. Let the tomatoes cook dinner, stirring steadily, till they’re very tender and pulpy.

Chickpea flour added to tomatoes and onions.

6. Stir within the chickpea powder and blend properly till no dry flour stays within the pan.

Paprika and berbere added to chickpea flour.

7. Add the berbere and paprika. Combine properly after which slowly trickle in 2 cups sizzling water into the chickpea combination, whisking as you go. You may add a pair extra tablespoons of niter kibbeh at this level for even higher taste.

8. Carry the shiro to a boil, then scale back warmth to medium-low, cowl, and let it cook dinner 10-Quarter-hour till the chickpea flour has misplaced its uncooked taste, the shiro has thickened, and little droplets of oil will be seen on prime. Shiro must be thick, however whether it is too thick on your liking, you may whisk in as much as ½ cup extra of sizzling water. Garnish, when you like, with sliced, recent, inexperienced chili peppers.

Useful hints

Caramelizing the onions till they’re brown and really tender will guarantee they merely soften into the shiro, which is what you need for the proper texture.
Add extra berbere and niter kibbeh, if you would like, to regulate the flavour to your liking.
Sift the chickpea flour into the saucepan to verify there are not any lumps.
Be sure that the water you add to the chickpea paste may be very sizzling, to make sure the cooking course of does not cease, which it’ll when you add chilly water that has to warmth again up.
Use a whisk to combine within the water with the chickpea flour so there are not any lumps.
You probably have entry to an Ethiopian retailer, you should purchase premixed shiro powder or shiro flour. It’s a mixture of chickpea flour and berbere so if use retailer purchased shiro, you may skip mixing within the berbere however comply with the remainder of the directions on this recipe to make shiro wot.

Serving strategies

Shiro wot is great served over injera, the favored Ethiopian flatbread.
Serve shiro with most flatbreads, together with roti, vegan naan, pita or tortilla.
Smear it on a chunk of crusty toast and prime with avocado for a tremendous breakfast.

Storage directions

Refrigerate: Retailer shiro within the fridge in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days.
Freeze: Freeze leftovers for as much as 4 months.
Reheat: Thaw and reheat within the microwave or on the stovetop till warmed by. If wanted add a little bit of water.

Extra scrumptious chickpea flour recipes

Ethiopian shiro wat in bowl with chili peppers and spoon.

Should you cherished this recipe, make sure to try extra vegan gluten-free recipes on Holy Cow Vegan!