Shiro (Ground-Chickpea Stew) Recipe (2024)

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.

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

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.

I was in Ethiopia earlier this year and because it was Lent there, during which many people fast (meaning: no meat or dairy), shiro was a staple. We had it almost daily. It's intense heat offset the sourness of injera perfectly. Christian Ethiopians have such fasts for about 200 days a year, so shiro is a very important nutritional source, not only because of poverty but also as a sign of devotion.I hadn't realized how easy it would be to make. See you soon, Kalustyan's!

Besan and chickpea flour are different. Besan is the flour of brown chickpeas or chana dal. The flavor profile and texture will likely be different.

Chickpea flour is also called "gram flour" - I get mine from an Indian grocery store in my neighborhood. But the Hispanic stores (esp. from the Caribbean) have "harina de garbanzo" - that's the same.

No. They are cooked and contain too much water. Chickpea flour, which does not really absorb water, is necessary to make a polenta-like mixture (it is nothing like polenta, but the idea of slowly adding a grain or legume flour to water to make a soupy-pasty mixture is the idea). In Indian groceries, it's called besan, as already noted, and Italian groceries carry it for making Sicilian panelle, which are chickpea flour fritters.

It’s easy to get Bob’s Red Mill chickpea flour at the grocery store. I got the spice mix on Amazon. I’m going to have Paratha with it though, because I have a lot in the freezer.

This easiest way is to buy a bag of shiro at your local Ethiopian store. In the D.C. area we have a the largest selection of Ethiopian stores and restaurants outside of Ethiopia/Eritrea. Some of the shiro is absolutely luscious even at take-out markets, very popular with the local Ethiopian/Eritrean community.

Eritrea shares its cuisine with the vastly larger Ethiopia, where shiro is a very common dish, prepared both in vegan format (for the many fasting days of their Orthodox Churches) and with prepared butter or even with meat added. Real berbere and the shiro powder itself are readily available in Ethiopian groceries in most large American cities and, no doubt, online (where, contrary to the writer's impression, there are plenty of shiro recipes, most far more authentic than this one).

We ate this on socca and the only complaint my family had was that I did not make more. Throughout the week we have been eating Shiro on everything. Sourdough, rice, and more. My son asked that I keep it in the fridge every week.

I cut the oil by half and the result was very good.

Break out the tagine, if you have one. Did that and its came out great. Didn't even need to add water. Notes: - cooked the onion/garlic/spice/oil mixture for 20 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Same with the tomatoes, then same with the chickpea flour. This isn't a quick dish despite how it reads.- used EVOO instead of canola - used Sahadi brand berbere, inexpensive on Amazon- used 28 oz Kirkland San Marzano tomatoes- should have made a slurry with flour/water instead of just flour

For added depth of flavor, dry-toast the chickpea flour in a skillet before cooking the onion mixture. Instead of the fresh tomatoes, you can substitute some tomato paste, and ideally you will caramelize it a little in the onion mixture before adding the chickpea flour. You'll need to add more water to make up for what would have been in the fresh tomatoes.

Make a whole lot more of it without any additional spice, and when it's palatable, freeze it in meal-sized portions.

We bought a berbere spice mix from the wonderful Jamba Cafe in Santa Fe, NM a while back. Came together quickly with the food processor and 28 oz canned tomatoes (so added less water) which got whizzed with the chickpea flour for ease.Took the advice of others to sauté aromatics for a while before adding tomatoes, and let it all sit on low heat while I worked on the rest of dinner.SPICY without the jalapeño. Hoping serving w/sweet potatoes, rice, naan and some yogurt works for the kids!

Delicious! I did take the advice and put 20 mins cook time between the spice/onion, then tomatoes, then chickpea flour (made into a slurry) all per another person’s suggestion. Then I let it simmer for 2 hours on low. This dish needs the time cook between additions and at the end to simmer and build depth. I used the 28 oz can of tomatoes as well (per another users suggestion). This will stay in rotation.

I only needed about 1-1/2 c. of water. I used a premade berbere mix (which I bought at Kalustian's!)- very tasty, but I would use a little more next time. We liked this a lot. I think next time I might serve it with millet.

Too much oil for me. Next time I will probably only use 1/2 cup.

We found the recipe to be too spicy with 4 chilis de arbor. I would suggest trying it with 2. Other than that, it was really tasty!

Fabulous taste! I just used berbere seasoning that was store-bought, and still great.

I agree with another writer that unless this is cooked for over 30 minutes, it tastes too much of raw onion and garlic. Either sautee the garlic onion mixture more up front or later, or reduce the amount of garlic/onions.

Unbelievably easy and delicious.

I followed directions and used 2 T of premixed berebere spice. Finished dish is so hot as to be inedible which is a bummer. Will likely not make again for the effort, but if so, would use less than 1/2 specified berebere.

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. /Besan and chickpea flour are different. Besan is the flour of brown chickpeas or chana dal. The flavor profile and texture will likely be different./ 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.

There are a few months of the year when vine-ripened tomatoes are better than canned, so don't shy from good canned varieties. Steer clear of those that use calcium chloride as a firming agent. Bianco diNapoli is my current favorite.The injera though –even Bob's Red Mill sells teff flour, but fermenting the batter and making injera requires time, and favors having special equipment. Go with a sour baguette or bâtard.

I have eaten shiro many times in Ethiopia and in the US. My favorite way to eat it in Ethiopia is served over spaghetti with crusty Italian bread, a dish that can be found even in the most remote parts of Ethiopia. I make shiro at home, as well. Instead of oil, I use niter kibe (Ethiopian spiced butter that I make in 4 pound batches and freeze), and I always add a can of Rotel. Authentic or not, it tastes delicious and it harkens to the communal mesob, where all wots eventually blend together.

WARNING: The berbere given here doesn't have any salt in it, but most bottled brands do. Be very careful with adding salt to the dish if you are using a purchased blend. I used a newly purchased jar of berbere for this recipe and I didn't see it contained salt, so I came very close to oversalting my shiro.

For added depth of flavor, dry-toast the chickpea flour in a skillet before cooking the onion mixture. Instead of the fresh tomatoes, you can substitute some tomato paste, and ideally you will caramelize it a little in the onion mixture before adding the chickpea flour. You'll need to add more water to make up for what would have been in the fresh tomatoes.

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. Besan and chickpea flour are different. Besan is the flour of brown chickpeas or chana dal.