Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Shiro Wot
Ground-chickpea flour whisked into a spiced, silky stew, the dish that feeds Ethiopia on fasting days and hard times alike.
Ethiopian · easy · serves 4
prep 10 min · cook 20 min
~238 cal · 8g protein · 24g carbs · 13g fat · 4g fiber · 6g sugars · 2g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Shiro wot is the humble, essential stew that feeds Ethiopia through fasting days and hard times alike, a smooth, spiced sauce made by whisking shiro, a flour of ground roasted chickpeas or broad beans blended with spices, into simmering water or oil until it thickens into a savory, comforting purée. It cooks in minutes from a pantry staple.
Because it needs no meat and keeps as a dry powder, shiro is the backbone of Ethiopian and Eritrean fasting cuisine and a reliable everyday meal in Addis Ababa when fresh ingredients are scarce or expensive. Its convenience and low cost make it common across every income level.
Served bubbling on and scooped up by hand, shiro is pure comfort, mild, nutty, and warming. For many Ethiopians it tastes of home and childhood, the ordinary weeknight dish that is somehow the one they most long for when away.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1 cup shiro powder (ground roasted chickpea flour and spices), or besan and 1 tbsp berbere
1 large red onion, very finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1-2 tbsp spice blend
Hard to find? sweet paprika and cayenne with ground fenugreek, coriander, ginger and a little cinnamon and clove - berbere is a blend rather than a single spice, so rebuilding it roughly is fair game; fenugreek is the note people miss most when they leave it out
1 tomato, finely chopped
3 tbsp (or niter kibbeh for non-fasting)
for 4 or rice, to serve
Instructions
1
Dry-cook the onion in a dry pot over medium heat 6 minutes until softened, then add the oil.
2
Add garlic, ginger, berbere, and tomato; fry 3 minutes until fragrant and darkened.
3
Whisk 3 cups water in gradually, then rain in the shiro powder while whisking hard to prevent lumps.
4
Simmer 12 minutes, stirring, until it thickens to a smooth, pourable stew, add water if it stiffens.
5
Serve poured over injera, still gently bubbling.
Addis Ababa fasting-day tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Addis Ababa. Shiro is ground pulse flour rather than one specific bean: chickpea most often, but broad bean or split pea depending on the region and the shop. It is cooked down with onion and berbere until it is smooth, and it is what a household eats on the days that are not feast days.
🗺️
Ethiopia. Injera begins with ersho, a splash of sour starter kept back from the last batch and stirred into teff flour and water, then left to ferment for two or three days before it meets a hot clay griddle. What comes off is tangy, spongy and pocked with holes, and it is laid out as the plate itself, with the stews ladled directly onto it.
🌍
Africa. Africa's fifty-four nations hold cuisines as different as Morocco's slow-cooked tagines and South Africa's open-fire braai, yet shared threads run through them: ancient grains like millet, sorghum, and teff; stews thickened with groundnut, okra, or palm; and fiery condiments from Tunisian harissa to Ethiopian berbere. Staple starches, fufu, injera, ugali, couscous, anchor communal meals often eaten by hand from a shared dish, where hospitality is a point of honor.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Ethiopia
Misir Wot (Spiced Red Lentil Stew)Red lentils melted into a deep, chili-red stew built on berbere spice and slow-caramelized onions.
Doro WatEthiopia’s celebration dish: chicken slow-stewed in a mountain of caramelized onions and berbere, with whole eggs.
ChechebsaShredded flatbread tossed in spiced niter kibbeh and berbere, a warm, savory Ethiopian breakfast.
Browse all Ethiopia recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan, Whisk.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Shiro Wot?
Ground-chickpea flour whisked into a spiced, silky stew, the dish that feeds Ethiopia on fasting days and hard times alike.
Where does Shiro Wot come from?
Shiro Wot is a Ethiopian dish from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Can Shiro Wot be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Shiro Wot recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Shiro Wot safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Shiro Wot take to make?
About 30 minutes total (10 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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