Easy Mit'in Shiro

Tonight I advanced another step in my ethiopian cooking odyssey by finally pulling off one of my favorites: shiro wat. The big problem has always been the key ingredient: mit'in shiro, a staple powder made from roasted chickpeas, fava beans, peas, and other legumes, mixed with berbere. I ordered some from this place, but I didn't want to wait, so I modified a recipe I'd found and just used chickpea flour. It turned out so well that I wanted to share it with anybody else who'd find it interesting.

Easy Mit'in Shiro

Believe me, this is easier than how you really make it.

Mix together the following:

• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground tumeric
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 3/4 tsp dried basil or cilantro
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 3/4 tsp ground fenugreek seed (important)
• 2 1/2 tsp ginger
• 2 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp ground red pepper
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 6 tbsp onion flakes
• 1 cup garbanzo bean flour (check your local health food store)

Use that to make this:

Shiro Wat

• 1 1/2 cups mit'in shiro (the above should be enough)
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped

Directions:

1. Fry the onion and garlic in the oil until brown
2. Add the water and boil
3. Sprinkle in the mit'in shiro a little at a time, stirring to prevent lumps, until desired consistency is achieved. I like a firmer consistency, but I've seen it served very liquid, more like a stew.

Serve with injera (try this recipe, but be easy on yourself - it's tough to pull off). Also, gomen wat goes great with it!