Ethiopian Shiro with Chickpea Flour
Shiro lumps terrifyingly easily. The right method: dissolve the powder separately in cold or lukewarm water into a smooth mixture, then pour it onto the cooked onion — not the other way round. Sprinkling dry powder onto hot liquid equals lumps.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Calories
- 290
Shiro is an everyday Ethiopian dish, entirely vegan and the cheapest thing in the Ethiopian kitchen. Spiced chickpea powder turns into a creamy sauce in 20 minutes. High in protein and ideal for fasting days.
Method
-
1
Dry onion
Put the chopped onion in a pot with no oil over medium-low heat and stir for 15 minutes until its water has evaporated and it becomes a golden paste.
⏱ 16 min -
2
Oil and spices
Add the oil, garlic and ginger for two minutes, then the berbere and tomato and stir for 4 minutes.
⏱ 7 min -
3
Dissolve the powder — the texture secret
In a separate bowl, dissolve the chickpea powder in a cup of warm water and whisk it until perfectly smooth with no lumps at all.
⏱ 4 min -
4
Pour it in
Pour the chickpea mixture into the pot gradually while stirring, then the rest of the water.
⏱ 3 min -
5
Cook
Low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until it thickens, turns creamy and the oil rises. Add the salt.
⏱ 20 min -
6
Serve
Pour it into a dish and top with the green chillies, olive oil and spring onion. Serve with injera or bread.
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Tips that actually matter
- Dissolve the powder separately in warm water — sprinkling it dry into the pot creates lumps you cannot break.
- Constant stirring is required — shiro sticks to the base easily.
- It thickens a lot as it cools, so leave it a little loose on the heat.
- Entirely vegan and suitable for fasting — one of the most widely eaten fasting dishes in Ethiopia.
People also ask
Where do I get shiro powder?
Ethiopian and African grocers. Substitute: ordinary chickpea flour with extra berbere — the flavour is close, because shiro powder is essentially ground chickpea with spices.
It has lumps — what do I do?
Blend it with a stick blender on the heat — that improves it a great deal. Prevention is easier: always dissolve the powder separately.
Can I use broad bean flour?
Yes, and there is an Ethiopian version made with broad beans called 'shiro with ful'. The taste is a little heavier but the method is the same.
Cook mode
Ethiopian Shiro with Chickpea Flour
-
1
Dry onion
Put the chopped onion in a pot with no oil over medium-low heat and stir for 15 minutes until its water has evaporated and it becomes a golden paste.
-
2
Oil and spices
Add the oil, garlic and ginger for two minutes, then the berbere and tomato and stir for 4 minutes.
-
3
Dissolve the powder — the texture secret
In a separate bowl, dissolve the chickpea powder in a cup of warm water and whisk it until perfectly smooth with no lumps at all.
-
4
Pour it in
Pour the chickpea mixture into the pot gradually while stirring, then the rest of the water.
-
5
Cook
Low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until it thickens, turns creamy and the oil rises. Add the salt.
-
6
Serve
Pour it into a dish and top with the green chillies, olive oil and spring onion. Serve with injera or bread.
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