The best food in Africa

I apologize for not posting for so long. I do have good excuses....like I spent over a month in Africa and it was Thanksgiving and my wedding anniversary. But the reality is that despite having those good excuses, I have still made the following discoveries: 1) Keeping a blog takes up a lot of time if you want to do it well, and 2) I'm an inspirational writer, and I'm not always feeling super creative. So, there you have it. I will do my best to make my posts more frequent so you can have new exciting recipes to try at home, but I can't promise anything.


To celebrate my return back to America, I thought I would share a new Ethiopian dish I learned how to make during my recent visit. Ethiopian food has easily become one of my favorite ethnic foods. It's full of spices and rich flavors. And you eat it with your hands....food is just more fun when you can eat it with your hands! The common spice used in most Ethiopian dishes is berbere (pronounced "burberry") and it's the key ingredient in the dish below.


My friend Bekele, his wife and their house helper taught me how to make Shiro. The first time I just watched them make this delicious, velvety goodness.... I thought, I can do this, not a problem! Then it was my turn to make the shiro and put into practice what I had learned a couple days prior. I wasn't able to get through the entire recipe without a bit of guidance (Ethiopian cooking is more about your own interpretation and experience, not by measurements and exact recipes). But...after my first attempt I was officially sworn in as an Ethiopian cook and considered "half Ethiopian."

I love ethnic food and it is so fun to make. A little warning before you get started....this is not a science. You may have to do a few trial runs before perfecting your version of this popular Ethiopian dish. Have fun!


Ethiopian Shiro


• Chop up a small onion (I would use shallots) as small as you can. Fry onion in about ½” of sunflower oil for 3-5 minutes. I would use a small pot to cook.
• Add 1 ½ to 2 TBL Berbere spices. You can adjust based on how spicy you want it.
• Fry onion, oil, and spice mixture for a minute.
• Add a small can of tomato paste and 2-3 garlic cloves mashed up. Fry together for about 5 minutes.
• Add water (about half way up in pan). Allow water to boil and cover. Boil for 10-12 minutes.
• Add 2-3 TLB Shiro powder. Allow mixture to boil and thicken for at least 10 mintues. You just really have to go by looks here.
• Add some course sea salt for taste.
• Finish with 1-2 TBL Ghee (or butter).
• Serve hot with Injera…Enjoy!


Delicious Ethiopian Cuisine



Some good Ethiopian Recipe Sites:

http://ethiopianrecipes.net/

http://www.ethiopianrestaurant.com/recipes.html

http://www.food.com/recipes/ethiopian