BERBERE
About ½ cup
This spice blend is essential for many traditional Ethiopian stews, but it may be used on everything from chicken to vegetables, or mix it into olive oil with salt as a dipping sauce for bread.
Place a large skillet over medium heat and add:
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 5 dried chiles de árbol, piri piri peppers, or bird’s eye chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- (¼ teaspoon ajwain seeds)
- 3 black cardamom pods
- 3 allspice berries
- 1 whole clove
Toast, stirring frequently, until the spices are fragrant and lightly browned. The chiles will be ready before the rest of the spices, so remove them when they start to blacken even slightly. Transfer to a plate and let cool completely. Crack open the cardamom pods by pounding them under the side of a knife. Collect the seeds within, and discard the pods. Transfer the seeds and other spices to a spice grinder along with:
- 3 tablespoons sweet paprika
- (1 tablespoon dried holy basil or dried basil)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
Grind into a fine powder.