Shiro Wat, also known as Shuro or Shiro Wot, is a staple in any Ethiopian vegetarian platter – a thick, chickpea stew simmered slowly and served over their traditional sour flatbread, injera, with a host of other vegetarian dishes.

Ingredients

• fresh chickpeas
• berbere powder
• garlic powder
• ground cardamom
• cumin powder

Instructions

First, make the Shiro powder using fresh chickpeas. Remove the skin of chickpeas, and then dry roast them on medium heat on the pan along with berbere and the other spices. Then, use a food processor or spice grinder to grind them all together.

Then, heat a medium-sized pot (or Dutch oven) on medium heat. Then, add olive oil and heat it up for a minute. Add a diced onion, and sauté over low to medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant. The smaller you can dice your onions the better. Or, you can also puree the onions and add that instead! Then, add minced garlic along with tomato paste and sauté for a minute until garlic is fragrant.

Then, add the Shiro powder, salt, and three cups of water. Bring this to a boil on medium heat, then turn the heat down and let the mixture simmer for 20 or 30 minutes. Make sure to stir at five minute increments, so it doesn’t stick.

Serve hot with rice or injera.