Berbere

Name: Berbere
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: African
Ingredients: 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice; 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom; 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional); 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves; 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (optional); 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional); 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional); 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric; 4 -6 tablespoons of a combination ground cayenne pepper (red pepper, dried chile peppers, or red pepper flakes) or 4 -6 tablespoons paprika (red pepper, dried chile peppers, or red pepper flakes); 1 tablespoon salt; 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (peeled and grated); 2 tablespoons onions (optional) or 2 tablespoons shallots, finely chopped, omit if making dry berbere (optional); 1 teaspoon garlic, minced, use dried garlic if making dry berbere (optional); 1/4 cup water (omit if making dry berbere) or 1/4 cup red wine (omit if making dry berbere)

Instructions

Prep:25minCook:5min

This is from the Congo Cookbook and states: Berbere is an Ethiopian spice mixture that is the flavoring foundation of Ethiopian cuisine, a basic ingredient in Dabo Kolo, Doro Wat, and many other dishes. A milder berbere can be made by substituting paprika for some or most of the red pepper. Berbere is sometimes made as a dry spice mix, and is sometimes made with oil or water to form a paste. Starting with whole spices, the various nuts and seeds and dried red chile peppers, then pan-roasting, grinding, and mixing them will produce the most authentic berbere. However, perfectly satisfactory results can be obtained using already ground or powdered spices. Red wine seems to be a non-Ethiopian addition, but it works well. Yield and prep time is estimated.

Updated at: Thu, 20 Mar 2025 17:37:50 GMT