This silky vegan is Ethiopian Shiro Watt Very easy to make. It is intensely aromatic and one of the tastiest chickpea stews! A homemade barbere spice blend and vegan nighter kibbeh add amazing flavor.
My favorite restaurant, which serves Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine, has some amazing vegetarian and vegan dishes on the menu. My favorite of these is Shiro Wat (or Shiro Wat), a silky ground-chickpea stew that is spicy, aromatic and delicious.
In my last two posts I shared with you the recipe for barbeque and vegan nighter kibbeh (spiced olive oil). The goal was to get you started making this shiro wat, a staple vegetarian dish in Ethiopia, and other Ethiopian dishes like vegan doro wat and missir wat. Once you start, you’ll be hooked.
Cooking some Ethiopian dishes can be a labor of love, as all those incredible flavors take time to develop. Not so with Shiro, because most of the work was already done when you made Berbere and Nighter Kibeh. Now, you can sit back (mostly) and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Index
Why you will love this recipe
- Beyond delicious. I know I say this about many recipes, but there is no other way to describe this Shiro Watt. It’s so delicious, and I guarantee it will become one of your favorite Ethiopian dishes. I usually can’t wait for dinner and find myself eating it out of the container.
- simple. There really isn’t much difficulty in making this title. You can do this even if you are not very familiar with cooking Ethiopian or any food, but follow the instructions closely. This is also one One-pot recipe.
- affordable. Most vegetarian Ethiopian cuisine is profitable, but none more so than Shiro. You will have to make an initial investment in spices, but buy them at Indian or Ethiopian grocery stores where they are sold at a much better price than you can find in health food stores or online.
- Suitable for all diets. This Ethiopian chickpea stew is gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free.
material
- onion. Use red onion well.
- garlic
- Vegan Nighter Kibeh. If you’re vegetarian, you’ll need to make your own because store-bought versions are usually made with butter.
- tomato
- the barber. A blend of warm spices including coriander, cardamom and cayenne pepper.
- paprika (optional). I add it mainly for color.
- Chickpea flour
- Jalapeno or other green chili peppers (optional). For the garnish. It will add more heat to the stew so don’t use it if sensitive to heat as barbeque is also spicy.
How to make Shiro Watt
1. Place onions in a dry saucepan or Dutch oven (no oil). Add a pinch of salt and fry on medium heat until they start to brown. Add water a tablespoon at a time if needed to prevent sticking to the pan.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of Niter Kibeh and continue to cook until the onions are very soft and brown. Stir frequently.
3. Add garlic and mix it. Fry for few minutes.
4. Stir in the tomatoes and mix.
5. Let the tomatoes cook, stirring frequently, until they are very soft and smooth.
6. Stir in chickpea powder and mix well till there is a dry batter in the pan.
7. Add berbere and paprika. Mix well and then slowly pour 2 cups of hot water into the chickpea mixture, whisking as you go. You can add few more tablespoons of nighter kibbe at this point for better taste.
8. Bring the shiro to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and let it cook for 10-15 minutes until the chickpea flour loses its raw smell, the shiro thickens and little droplets of oil appear. The syrup should be thick on top, but if it’s too thick for your liking, you can whisk in ½ cup more hot water. Garnish with chopped fresh green chilies, if desired.
Helpful instructions
- Caramelizing the onions until they are brown and very soft will ensure that they just melt into the syrup, which is what you want for the perfect texture.
- To adjust the flavor to your liking, add more barbere and nighter kibbeh, if you like.
- Sift the chickpea flour into the saucepan so that there are no lumps.
- Make sure that the water you add to the chickpea paste is very hot, to ensure that the cooking process does not stop, if you add cold water that needs to be reheated.
- Use a whisk to mix the chickpea flour with the water so that there are no lumps.
- If you have access to an Ethiopian store, you can buy premixed shiro powder or shiro flour. It is a mix of chickpea flour and bebare so if using store bought shiro, you can skip adding bebare but follow the rest of the instructions in this recipe to make shiro wat.
Serving advice
- Shiro wat is excellent served over injera, an Ethiopian flatbread.
- Serve shiro with most flatbreads, including roti, vegan naan, pita or tortilla.
- Mix it into a piece of crusty toast with avocado for an amazing breakfast.
Storage instructions
- Keep in fridge: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- freeze: Freeze leftovers for up to four months.
- Reheat: Melt and reheat in microwave or stovetop until warm. Add a little water if needed.
More delicious chickpea flour recipes
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out more vegan gluten-free recipes at Holy Cow Vegan!
Ethiopian Shiro Wat Free Mp3 Download
This silky vegan Ethiopian shiro wat is super easy to make. It is intensely aromatic and one of the tastiest chickpea stews! A homemade barbere spice blend and vegan nighter kibbeh add amazing flavor.
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Serving: 8 serving
Calories: 106kcal
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instructions
-
Place the onion in a dry saucepan (no oil). Add a pinch of salt and fry on medium heat until they start to brown. Add water a tablespoon at a time if needed to prevent sticking to the pan.
-
Add 2 tablespoons of Niter Kibeh and continue to cook until the onions are very soft and brown. Stir frequently.
-
Add garlic and mix it. Fry for few minutes.
-
Stir in the tomatoes and mix. Let the tomatoes cook, stirring frequently, until they are very soft and smooth.
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Stir in chickpea flour and mix well until there is no dry flour in the pan.
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Add the barberry and paprika. Mix well and then slowly pour in 2 cups of hot water, as needed. You can add few more tablespoons of nighter kibbe at this point for better taste.
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Bring the shiro to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and let it cook for 10-15 minutes until the chickpea flour loses its raw smell, the shiro thickens and little oil drips on top. . The syrup should be thick, but if it is too thick for your liking, you can whisk in ½ cup more hot water. Garnish with chopped fresh green chilies, if desired.
Recipe notes
- Caramelizing the onions until they are brown and very soft will ensure that they just melt into the syrup, which is what you want for the perfect texture.
- To adjust the flavor to your liking, add more barbere and nighter kibbeh, if you like.
- Sift the chickpea flour into the saucepan so that there are no lumps.
- Make sure that the water you add to the chickpea paste is very hot, to ensure that the cooking process does not stop, if you add cold water that needs to be reheated.
- Use a whisk to mix the chickpea flour with the water so that there are no lumps.
- Shiro is sold in Ethiopian shops as a premade mixture of chickpea flour and barberry. If you use store-bought shiro, you can skip the mixing but follow the rest of the instructions.
Storage instructions
- Keep in fridge: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- freeze: Freeze leftovers for up to four months.
- Reheat: Melt and reheat in microwave or stovetop until warm. Add a little water if needed.
nutrition
Calories: 106kcal | Sugars: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated fats: 5g | Potassium: 99mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 137IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 2mg
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