Berbere: Ethiopia’s Signature Spice
This is a flexible recipe. If you're missing any (or even several) of these spices - black cardamom, for instance, is not easy to find - you can leave out almost anything but the chiles. The result will be slightly less complex but still delicious. If the recipe calls for a whole spice and you only have it ground, feel free to use the ground version, adding it after grinding the whole spices.
- Prep time
- 14 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 4 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
- 4 whole allspice berries
- 1-inch piece cinnamon stick
- 8 whole cloves
- Seeds from 8 pods green cardamom
- Seeds from 1 pod black cardamom, if available
- 1/4 cup crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons minced dried onion, optional
- 1/4 cup sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt, optional
Instructions
- 1
In a dry skillet, combine coriander, cumin, fenugreek, peppercorns, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Place skillet over medium heat and toast spices, stirring or shaking pan often, until the spices become fragrant and darken slightly. Remove from heat and stir in chile flakes and optional dried onion. Let cool for a few minutes.
- 2
Grind toasted spice mixture in a spice grinder until quite fine. This may require two or three batches, depending on the size of your grinder. Pour the freshly ground spices into a medium bowl, then stir in paprika, nutmeg, ginger, turmeric, and optional salt. Allow mixture to cool completely before storing in an airtight jar.