SHIRO WOT / ሽሮ ወጥ

 

When I get asked the desert island question - the one relating to food, after enduring the cruelty of the question, my thought goes to the humble shiro. 

I didn't grow up thinking that shiro was my fav food. In elementary school, when filling out friends' autographs, to the question "what is your fav food," I consistently responded kitfo be kocho. Kitfo is a minced, extra-lean red meat dish that comes from the Gurage tribe in the southern part of Ethiopia and is a delicacy traditionally reserved for celebratory occasions. It's akin to the French's streak tartar but with different spices and side dishes. It is traditionally (and sensibly) eaten with kocho, a loaf, arduously and devotedly, made from the root of the false banana. 

I'm of the Amhara tribe and kitfo was not made all that often in our household. I've probably not had kitfo more than 20 times in my entire life. Maybe 30. 40? No! The rarity of the experience was part of what made the dish a treasure in my mind, especially as a kid. And ofcourse, it was good. 

Shiro, in contrast, is an everyday meal that comes from the northern region and its chief ingredient is the humble chickpea...ground to dust. The process of making shiro powder is long and meticulous and involves marinating, sun-drying and grinding. It comes in two varieties: nech shiro and key/mitten shiro. The former is blended with fresh garlic, ginger, shallots as well as herbs and spices such as Ethiopian basil, fenugreek, Ethiopian cardamom, and Ethiopian caraway. The latter is blended with dried red chili peppers in addition to the root vegetables, herbs and spices. Nech (white) shiro is not spicy, key (red) shiro is. 

Shiro is truly revolutionary as far as food innovation goes in that it is a main dish product, only minimally processed, made to last for a year or more. It is made all-natural (sans preservative, additive, etc) and requires minimal effort to take it to a final prepared meal. 

But it's not because it's innovative or that it's highly nutritious that I'm compelled to choose the humble shiro from the impossibly long list of dishes I love. 

It's how it makes me feel...

Yes, when I chew it and taste it, but long after I have swallowed it...

It's the full body nourishment I feel after having shiro (with injera), every single time. Perhaps the powdered chickpea is easy on the tummy. Perhaps it's the accompaniment of the sourdough injera. Perhaps it's because it is food I grew up eating and one to which my body is attuned. 

Perhaps I wasn't aware of it as a kid, but as an adult, nothing else is quite the same. 

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PS. I love shiro's distant cousin, the hummus, too. 

PPS. Wot (ወጥ) means stew in Amharic. Shiro (ሽሮ) is the chickpea blend. Shimbera (ሽምብራ) is chickpeas. 

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Feeds 4 to 5 as a side dish 

Ingredients: 
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil 
2 medium yellow onions, minced 
6 to 7 garlic cloves, minced 
1/2 tsp maqulaya (optional) 
2 large ripe tomatoes (preferably Roma), finely chopped (preferably deskinned first) 
5 heaping tbsp shiro powder 
6 cups warm water (and more for loosening the stew as it cooks)
1 tsp sea salt 
1 jalapeño pepper, halved and seeds intact 

Creative steps: 

In a deep pan over medium-low heat, cook the onion in oil for 5 to 8 minutes, or until slightly soft. Add the garlic and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until everything is translucent and caramelized. Don't skip the caramelization process as this deepens the flavour of the stew. Stir in the maqulaya, if using, and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, cover pan and bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until dissolution. In a separate bowl, mix the shiro powder with 6 cups of warm water (or until the mixture is runny). Transfer the shiro mixture to the pan and stir well and carefully. Season with salt, cover pan and bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a minimum and let simmer with pan covered for atleast 15 to 20 minutes. If you have time, let it simmer for longer; the longer it simmers, the more the ingredients collide and the more the flavour develops/deepens. Keep checking every now and then to stir and avoid scorching. If the stew thickens, add splashes of water to loosen; the desired consistency is not too runny but not too bulky either. In the last 10 minutes or so of simmering, add the jalapeño pepper, seed-face down; this will infuse a subtle and fresh spiciness to the stew. The best way to gauge if the stew is well done is to wait until the oil surfaces to the top. Serve with injera and a veggie side dish. Shiro goes well with gomen (sauteed collard greens) or tikil gomen (sauteed cabbage). Pictured above is a side dish of boiled beetroot/carrot combo and a dollop of yogurt. As ever, enjoy. 

 

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PPPS. Injera is central to the typical Ethiopian cuisine; without it, the dishes especially the stews don't make sense. One day, when I have the right stove, I will be making injera at home and I will share the recipe. In the meantime, to my fellow Torontonians: you can find injera as well as shiro powder and maqulaya in Ethiopian or Eritrean convenience stores. In the old, OG Little Ethiopia in the west end, there are Freta Injera & Variety Store, Yohanna Convenience Store, and Ossington Mini Mart, all on Bloor Street West. Freta Injera makes local, 100% teff injera, my fav of all. Yohanna also carries Freta's injera. Also, Yohanna and Ossington Mini Mart carry 100% teff injera imported all the way from good ol' Addis. It survives the 14-hour direct flight from Addis to Toronto just fine, but make sure to grab it the day it arrives (call and check before making the trip). The local teff/barley combo you find in every store, to me, is - it has to be said - not-injera. In the new Little Ethiopia in the east end, there are, no doubt, many more choices, so I invite you to just go and explore. If convenience stores don't work out for some reason, you could just try walking into an Ethiopian restaurant and asking to buy just injera. It might be a bit pricier but it's worth it. 

PPPPS. Amazon links for mitten shiro, maqulaya, etc. 

PPPPPS. Merry Summer.