# 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.

**Ethiopian Cuisine · 40 min · 4 servings · 290 kcal per serving**

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.

## Ingredients


### Base
- 1 cup — shiro powder (or chickpea flour)
- 3.5 cups — warm water
- 2 حبات — onions, very finely chopped
- 5 cloves — garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp — grated ginger

### Spices
- 2 tbsp — berbere spice
- 1 حبة — tomato, grated
- 1 tsp — salt
- 0.25 cup — oil

### To serve
- 2 حبات — green chillies
- 2 tbsp — olive oil
- 0.25 cup — spring onion

## 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.
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.

## Tips

- 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.

## FAQ

### 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.

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Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/ethiopian-cuisine/ethiopian-shiro-with-chickpea-flour
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-09-13