Berbere
This is our take on a traditional spice blend commonly used in Ethiopian dishes such as Doro Wat or Misir Wat, but can be used or added to many others, even as a topping for dishes from other cuisines such as hummus or popcorn.
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time5 minutes mins
Course: Spice Mix
Cuisine: Ethiopian
Keyword: spices
Cost: 10
Toasted items
- 2 tsp. coriander seeds
- 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
- 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
- 1/4 tsp. whole allspice
- 4 white cardamom pods
- 4 whole cloves
- 5 dried chiles: Dundicut
- 5 dried chiles: Tien Tsin
Non-toasted items
- 3 tbl Hot ground indian chile powder
- 1/8 cup dried onion flakes
Pre-ground items
- 1 tbsp. half-sharp hungarian paprika
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Toasting Step
In a wide shallow pan, slowly toast all of the items in the Toasted Items ingredient section. I have mistakenly added some of the non-toasted items when I got in a hurry and the final result is still just fine, but will take much longer as the bulk could cause less surface contact from the items you most want toasted.
Grinding Step
Using whatever device you have handy, grind all of the items in the Toasted and Non-toasted lists until fine. You might have to do the grinding in batches and can take quite a while to get to a good small consistency. For small batches of grinding I'm happy to pull out the molcajete, but for this spice blend I usually break out an Oxo 12 oz. Burr Coffee Grinder (that has NEVER seen coffee), particularly since I will often make a double or triple batch.