A fiery Eritrean beef stew built on berbere spice and long-cooked onions, eaten with injera.

Where does Zigni come from?

Zigni is a Eritrean dish from Asmara, Eritrea.

Can Zigni be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Zigni recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Zigni take to make?

About 115 minutes total (25 minutes prep, 90 minutes cooking), serving 6.

Zigni — a Asmara, Eritrea recipe

Name: Zigni
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 115 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Eritrean
Ingredients: 2 lb beef, cubed; 4 large onions, very finely chopped; 3 tbsp berbere spice blend; 6 cloves garlic; 1 tbsp ginger; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 1/4 cup oil or niter kibbeh (or oil for vegan)

Africa → 🇪🇷 Eritrea → Asmara

Zigni

Eritrean · medium · serves 6

prep 25 min · cook 90 min

~516 cal · 41g protein · 13g carbs · 32g fat (estimated, per serving)

🍽️

Deep red spiced beef stew served on injera flatbread

🇪🇷 Asmara

Zigni is the celebratory red stew of Eritrea, its heat and depth coming from berbere and a patient mountain of onions cooked down almost to a paste before a drop of water is added. Scooped up with sourdough injera and shared from a communal platter, it is the taste of Asmara hospitality.

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Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 6 —

•

2 lb beef, cubed

•

4 large onions, very finely chopped

•

3 tbsp berbere spice blend

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6 cloves garlic

•

1 tbsp ginger

•

3 tbsp tomato paste

•

1/4 cup oil or niter kibbeh (or oil for vegan)

Instructions

1

Cook the onions gently in the oil, without water, for 20–25 minutes until collapsed, sweet, and jammy.

2

Stir in the garlic, ginger, tomato paste, and berbere and cook until darkened and fragrant.

3

Add the beef (or mushrooms and chickpeas) and turn to coat in the spiced base.

4

Add just enough water to make a thick sauce and simmer 45–60 minutes until the meat is tender.

5

Serve on injera with extra berbere for the brave.

Asmara tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

Asmara. A highland capital of berbere-red stews and injera.

🗺️

Eritrea. A Red Sea nation of berbere heat and shared injera.

🌍

Africa. Fifty-four countries of tagines, stews, and fire-kissed grills.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

👩‍🍳

Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →