Berbere is a famous seasoning use to flavor stews in ethiopian. Ethiopian spice mix berbere berbere, whose name means hot in amharic, is a chile spice blend thats essential to many ethiopian dishes. The flavors are robust and feature a range of spices. An essential spice for any kitchen, regal ground mace adds a rich, zesty flavor to baked goods, desserts, sauces, and more. Homemade berbere spice seasoning blend ethiopian berbere spice made with cardamom, fenugreek, cumin, ginger, chills, paprika and more. Mace doesnt get much love anymore, which is a big shame. How to make your own spice blends one green planet. Aug 26, 20 berbere is a hot spice blend that is an integral ingredient in ethiopian cuisine. It varies with each cook and is used to season many ethiopian dishes. If you dont already own it, use one of these substitutes and avoid having to add another spice to your. Sep 01, 2011 mace doesnt get much love anymore, which is a big shame. For the uninitiated, berbere is a traditional ethiopian spice blend composed of chiles, garlic, fenugreek and a handful of warm spices, such as allspice and cinnamon.
For this bold, pastelike sauce, macerating the onion in lime juice tempers its. This substitution list will help you with that also. We love sprinkling it into lentil soup, roasted vegetables, and sauteed greens. You can make berbere as spicy or as mild as you like. Some cooks add berbere to burgers, meatballs, and roast chicken.
A mix of sweet and savory spices means this blend can be used on all kinds of dishes. Ethiopian spice mix berbere berbere, whose name means hot in amharic, is a chilespice blend thats essential to many ethiopian dishes. Sometimes you can find yourself ready to cook a recipe, but youre missing a key spice or herb. This unique spice is derived from the dried, ground outer covering of the nutmeg seed which grows on the tropical evergreen myristica fragans. But one of the things that keeps me inspired and excited about life.
Next to almondapricot couscous and crisp green beans, this is an easy weeknight meal with some exotic touches to keep things exciting. For those of you who have difficulty locating berbere in your local grocery store, this recipe is a good substitute that is easy to make. How to use berbere to add ethiopian flavor to dishes the. If you dont have all the whole spices, substitute an equivalent amount of ground. The only other seasoning in the soup is bay leaves. Berbere, an ethiopian spice blend made with fenugreek, paprika, ginger, coriander, and many more spices, is integral to many ethiopian dishes. Berbere is one of the most delicious and versatile spice mixes ever. As a general rule, start with half the amount the recipe calls for unless directed otherwise, and add the spice until it suits your taste. In ethiopia, berbere is used to make a sauce called awaze, which is used much like a roux but with berbere spice instead of flour. It tends to be red when raw and is usually dried before use, turning a dark reddishorange. Ethiopian berbere paste recipe made with authentic spices and seasonings.
Home spice substitutes whats a good berbere substitute. Golden brown in color, this rich, aromatic spice is warming to taste. If you dont already own it, use one of these substitutes and avoid having to add another spice to your cupboard. Substitutes, ingredients, equivalents gourmetsleuth. The first way gives you a more powerful flavor, but it may be more practical the second way, particularly if you dont have a spice grinder.
Myristica fragrans fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg is a darkleaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit. In the golden age of the spice trade, mace strode across the skin of the world just like its cousin nutmeg. Oct 11, 2015 homemade berbere spice seasoning blend ethiopian berbere spice made with cardamom, fenugreek, cumin, ginger, chills, paprika and more. The spices that are used to make berbere spice may be easier to find than a pre made blend. It is an allpurpose spice mix that is used in soups, stews. But it seems the modern age only has room for one magical sweet spice that seems to go with everything, and mace lost. We hand blend hardtofind seasonings such as ajowan seed and fenugreek with ground chiles, cardamom, cumin and clove for our berbere ethiopian blend. Berbere spice is used to make ethiopian favorites such as the chicken stew known as doro wot and the lentil stew, misr wot. Berbere is a traditional blend from ethiopa and eretria. In this fragrant ethiopianinspired dish, we panroast tender chicken thighs with berbere spice, a blend of garlic, ginger, chiles, and other spices that give this a complex floralsmoky aroma. Berbere spice how to make berbere spiced chicken breast.
Marcus samuelssons berbere spice recipe tasting table. Mar 04, 2018 so yes, making your own authentic berbere at home is a little bit of a project. Mace is normally sold in dried, ground form and used in many cuisines including indian, asian and europe. Oct 01, 2016 berbere may be used dry or mixed with oil to form a paste. This spice combination is used in many ethiopian dishes including doro wat, an ethiopian chicken dish. Stored in a cool, dark place, this spice mix should keep its flavor for about 4 to 6 months. I need a small amount of ground mace to flavor the split pea soup that i plan to make but i dont have it and cant get it easily. You can usually get it from your african store but i am going to show it how to make anyway. Nigellas oxtail stew with mackeson stout from how to eat uses ground mace. We blended ours using the traditional spices found in the authentic family blends. Some versions include lesser known spices like nigella seeds, ajwain, and korarima, a spice. Savory spices unique blend of berbere spice is less complex than traditional blends, used to flavor meat stews, vegetables, or lentils.
How to use berbere fn dish behindthescenes, food trends. Pronounced bari baray, somewhat of an allpurpose spice mix, widely used in ethiopian dishes. Berbere is the quintessential spice blend of ethiopian cuisine, lending a rustic, bold flavor to traditional dishes and grilled meats. Add a pinch to lemon glaze, baked custard, sliced fresh fruit or fruit salad dressing. There are several key spices that are common to all variations resulting in a fiery, bright red, highly aromatic and flavorful seasoning blend. I love berbere spice, a classic ethiopian spice blend, but it never occurred to me to make my own. A homemade berbere that tastes exactly like ethiopian. Oct 05, 2014 sometimes you can find yourself ready to cook a recipe, but youre missing a key spice or herb. Berbere spice is an aromatic ethiopian peppery spice mixture which typically includes red pepper, garlic, cardamom, coriander, fenugreek as well as other spices.
Berbere berberry is to ethiopia what garam masala is to india. Click on any spice from the list below for recipe ideas, cooking tips. Berbere spice is used to make ethiopian favorites such as the chicken stew. Ethiopian spice mix berbere, african spice blend recipe. Every ethiopian cook has their own version of this blend. Berbere spice is an ethiopian spice blend which varies from family to family, not unlike curries and other complex spice blends.
Heres a quick spice and herb substitutions chart to help you out. Berbere spice mix is essential to ethiopian cooking, along with the clarified spiced butter known as niter kebbeh. The name berbere means hot in amharic a semitic language spoken in ethiopia and the name is quite appropriate as the blend begins with a tongueincinerating rush of cayenne, aleppo, and black and white peppers. You will find many uses for this wonderful spice mix, try it as a rub for meat, poultry, or fish. Sep 05, 2019 a delicious ethiopian spice blend if youre aiming for authentic ethiopian cuisine, getting to know berbere spice mix is a critical first step. Visit for the ingredients, more information, and many, many more video recipes. Its a blend thats used for everything from a steak and chicken rub to a finishing season for vegetables and dips. This ethiopian inspired berbere chicken curry was my first experience with berbere spice.
Berbere is a hot spice blend that is an integral ingredient in ethiopian cuisine. Toss it with vegetables before roasting, use it as a dry rub on pork or poultry before grilling, or stir it. When you come across a recipe that calls for it, save yourself some cash and cupboard space by using one of these substitutes in its place. Berbere is marcus samuelssons secret weapon tasting table. Berbere is an ethiopian seasoning blend known that incorporates. But i usually toast the spices during the cooking process. It is also sold whole and it is referred to as mace blades. Berbere, as the word is commonly used, is a fiery red ethiopian spice mix that gives ethiopian wots stews their characteristic flavour and, without which, a wot is just not a wot. Follow the recipe for caribbean jerk marinade here, but replace the dry herbs and spices with berbere instead. Mace blades the often forgotten skin of the nutmeg, whole mace blades. If you reeeeaalllyyyy still dont want to make this, for best results try to look for an imported berbere blend to buy that includes the spices i mentioned. Nov 17, 2011 berbere is a famous seasoning use to flavor stews in ethiopian. Just vary the amount of pepper flakes and cayenne in the recipe. How to make a mace substitute food recipes, food to make, food.
It is a key ingredient in the cuisines of ethiopia and eritrea. Though mace comes from the same tree as nutmeg, it features. Actually, authentic berbere spice would use whole spice seedspods, toasted, and ground. Both full of flavor and heat, this spice is not for the faint of heart or taste buds. Berbere recipe a recipe for ethiopian berbere spice mix. The crispiest tofu vegan, glutenfree one green planet. That means that they really, in my opinion dont substitute that well.
From morocco to pakistan, a wide variety of spice blends create the regional flavors of the middle eastern cuisine. A big part of this has to do with the distinctive flavor of berbere spice mix, which is used in many of that countrys dishes. There are two ways to make this with whole spices that you grind, or with powdered versions of the spices. As a general rule, start with half the amount the recipe calls for unless directed otherwise, and add the spice. Berbere is a wonderful all purpose seasoning mix full of flavor and heat.
Add the powder when paste is called for in recipes. Apr 29, 2011 how to use berbere to add ethiopian flavor to dishes. Berbere is a chile and spice blend used to season many ethiopian dishes. The heat is mild delivered from chili powder a spice mix itself and.
Berbere is in fact, the general ethiopian word for pepper, as in kundo pepper, which refers to black pepper. Pronunciation of berbere with 1 audio pronunciation, 1 meaning, 3 translations, 1 sentence and more for berbere. Berbere recipe ethiopian red pepper spice paste whats4eats. Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus myristica.
As with many regional foods the actual recipe will vary from family to family. Possible mace substitutes include nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, ginger or pumpkin pie spice. No salt, no mild paprika, just a lot of cayenne red pepper with the rich flavors of fenugreek and cardamom. A delicious ethiopian spice blend if youre aiming for authentic ethiopian cuisine, getting to know berbere spice mix is a critical first step. Although marcus samuelsson was born in ethiopia, he didnt meet the ethiopian spice blend known as berbere until long after he had been adopted, moved to sweden and become a professional chef. Because authentic berbere can be hard to find, we developed our own. I recommend berbere spices for those looking to change up their food flavors and add some verity to their menu. Some versions include lesser known spices like nigella seeds, ajwain, and korarima, a spice that grows wild in ethiopia. How to use berbere to add ethiopian flavor to dishes. Mace isnt a spice that you use every day, and it tends to be a bit pricey. Berbere seasoning blend awesomely hot and spicy north africanstyle hot pepper blend. Cayenne for the spicy heat, plus fenugreek, cardamom, garlic, and many more. The spices that are used to make berbere spice may be easier to find than a premade blend. Buy berbere spice mix ethiopian spice blend spice jungle.
Berbere spice, also known as ethiopian spice blend, its a crucial component of many ethiopian and eritrean dishes such as doro wat. Ethiopian food has gained a foothold in america that has yet to be equaled by other african cuisines. Sprinkle just a bit into the cheese sauce of your favorite mac and cheese. Zamouri spices are top quality and always well blended and fresh. Berbere spice blends include common spices such as cloves. Homemade berbere recipe authentic ethiopian spice blend. The combination of heat from ginger and chiles alongside aromatics like cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg make this unusual mix a powerhouse of flavor. Mace is a spice that is part of the nutmeg fruit mace is the lacy coating that is found on a nutmeg seed. The spice is used in soups and stews, and for making a sauce. Berbere, either as a spice mix or a paste is, more or less, the contents of your spice rack, mashed with cooked shallots and garlic and a little oil and water.
Because authentic berbere can be hard to find, we developed our own recipe. So yes, making your own authentic berbere at home is a little bit of a project. Ethiopian inspired berbere chicken curry get inspired everyday. Remember though, that when youre substituting, the. Ground mace can typically be found in the spices section of most wellstocked grocery stores. Whether youre making an emergency substitution or simply experimenting with new flavors, follow our spice substitute suggestions. Some of these spices are exotic and hard to come by and youre not sure youll use them enough to warrant purchasing them.
The word berbere means hot in amharic a spicy and flavorful spice blend. Hirsch first tried the ethiopian spice blend berbere nearly 20 years ago in north carolina. I affectionately call it the kitchen sink of spice blends, because it, well contains just about every spice in your cupboard. Our berbere sauce recipe is a quick, easytomake, spicy sauce featuring spices. The complex spice blend gives food a rich taste, layered with flavors and its wonderful in stews and it makes an incredible dry rub for meats. But when you taste that earthy blend of flavors and creeping heat, youll agree it was worthwhile. First with these samosa style twice baked potatoes, and now this ethiopian inspired dish. Berbere may be used dry or mixed with oil to form a paste. Berbere is a popular spice used in ethiopia and other eastern african countries. Use in pound cake, cakes, cookies, coffee cakes, brownies, nut breads, danish pastries, fruit pies, steamed pudding or puddings. Berbere is a cornerstone spice blend in ethiopian cooking. Also known as berbere spice, its a crucial component of many ethiopian and eritrean dishes such as doro wat. Oct 16, 2008 i need a small amount of ground mace to flavor the split pea soup that i plan to make but i dont have it and cant get it easily. Traditionally it is used to season slowcooked wats stews that may contain lentils, beans, and meat.