Berebere Ethiopian Spice Blend
Like a lot of others, I am cooking my way through the pandemic. Last weekend, I put together a seriously good Ethiopian meal. Well, good by home cooking standards at any rate. I began with creating the Berebere spice blend. A signature spice blend used in Ethiopian cooking. As with all spice blends there are countless versions of the same blend.
And here is the good news for you, you can also find my berebere blend in my Etsy Shop.
My Berebere story and blend
My version fits the spices that I tend to have on hand. Also, this version is lower on the heat level to accommodate our taste preferences. A more traditional recipe would replace at least half the paprika with cayenne pepper. I actually tried grilling chicken with this today, also turned out good. Just another option if you do not what to go through the process of cooking the entire stew.
Gratitude and Spice Collection Shout Out
So, my gratitude observation today, is I am glad my spice collection is robust. Also grateful that for the moment, I am fairly well stocked. Cannot imagine having to have to run to find cumin and coriander in the middle of this crazy pandemic. Well, those and then some.
This week seems to be getting a little more challenging. For me anyway. All the news filtering in through the networks has not been comforting. If you are in New York like me, I think there is a glimmer of hope and comfort in the state’s leadership. For me anyway! The governors attempts at comfort, soothing, and hope has been very inspiring. Especially since one of his own seem to be stricken.
And for now instead of gloom and doom, let me share with you this bright and fragrant spice blend, the way I do it. And yeah! The blog has a new international section – African. Small joys, small things to celebrate. Maybe this will be the positive effects of this virus
How to Use Berebere in your cooking
It is a flavorful spice and you can add it to soups, sauces and marinades. Two Ethiopian recipes on this site that use it include Misir Wat and Doro Wat
A versatile and well balanced spice blend. Berebere is used extensively in Ethiopian cooking.
Ingredients
- 1 large stick cinnamon (about 3 inches) broken into smaller pieces
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 2 teaspoon whole all spice berries
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1/4 cup mild chili powder (such as New Mexico or Kashmiri chili powder)
- 1/4 cup sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon red cayenne powder
- 2 teaspoons ginger powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
Instructions
- Place the cinnamon, cloves, all spice, and fenugreek seeds in a small skillet and toast until fragrant. About 3 minutes.
- Place in a spice or coffee grinder and grind until powdered.
- Place this mixture in a bowl. Add in the mild chili powder, paprika, red cayenne powder, ginger powder, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Mix well and store in a clean dry jar and use as needed.