Shiro (Ethiopian Chickpea Flour Stew)

Method

Shiro is simultaneously a stew and a condiment — a paste of roasted chickpea or bean flour cooked into a dense, creamy consistency that sits at the table as a backdrop to everything else. It is fast by the standards of the wat family, which makes it the weekday dish, but it still depends on a proper aromatic base. Shiro powder, sold ready-blended with its own spicing, is worth seeking out from an Ethiopian or Eritrean shop; plain roasted chickpea flour works if you lean harder on the berbere.

Finely dice the onion and cook it gently in a little of the niter kibbeh over moderate heat until soft and lightly golden — you do not need the long dry caramelisation of a full wat here, but the onions must be sweet and collapsed, not raw. Add the crushed garlic and the grated or finely chopped tomato and cook down for a few minutes until the tomato loses its rawness and the mixture is jammy. Stir in the berbere and let it bloom in the fat for a minute, then pour in about 500ml of water and bring it to a simmer.

Now comes the only real technique in the dish: adding the flour without lumps. Take the pan to a low heat and rain the shiro powder in slowly with one hand while whisking constantly with the other. If you tip it in all at once it seizes into knots that never smooth out. Keep whisking until the powder is fully dispersed, then switch to a wooden spoon and stir steadily as it thickens.

Let the shiro cook at a bare simmer for ten to fifteen minutes, stirring often so it does not catch on the base of the pan, until it thickens to the consistency of a loose porridge — it firms further as it cools, so stop while it is still pourable. Stir in the remaining niter kibbeh at the end for richness and gloss, and season with salt. Serve shiro warm on injera as part of ethiopian-cuisine|a spread, where its mild, nutty creaminess balances the sharper, chilli-forward wats around it.