"This is a journey of my life since I was all of 12 yrs when I started my hand in cooking to now with displays of my learning and creations of recipes from around the world. My inspiration and role model has always been my Mum who has always created dishes from around the world and excellently well. I do not believe I would ever match to her culinary skills. I remember the times she could cook and bake almost 4-5 dishes in one go without ever letting one go under cooked or burnt! I was born and raised in Dubai, UAE and recently moved to India for family reasons. Kitchenette just means that over the decades, my kitchen has changed from that of my mum's to my uncle and aunt's, to my home in UAE and now in India. Pala't'te, describes both global cuisines ('Palatte'-diverse flavours) and pleasing diverse 'Palates'."

Tuesday 4 September 2012

Berbere (Ethiopian and Eritrean Chili Powder)

Berbere is a spice mixture which traditionally includes Chili Peppers, Ginger, Garlic, Dried basil, rue, white pepper, black pepper and Fenugreek. I probably would not have found Berbere in the local market here however I wanted to nevertheless make my own Berbere to add to my spice cabinet for easy reach. My mum-in-law mentioned that the Ethiopian cuisine is not complete without this spice mix. Otherwise it would taste more Indian if we used the regular Chili Powder. In any case, the dry red chilis I used here were Indian. The lady who worked for A's family in Ethiopia used to make Berbere afresh for their use in Ethiopian cuisine.
Berbere

To make this spice,


You need:
  • 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 8-10 dried red chilis
  • 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 3/4 tsp cardamom seeds
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 tsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
  • 1/4 tsp whole all-spice
  • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
The make:

Cooking Time: 3 minutes | Preparation Time: 10 minutes | Makes 1/2 cup

  • In a skillet, on medium heat, dry roast the cumin, whole cloves, cardamom seeds, peppercorns, all-spice, fenugreek seeds and coriander seeds for 2-3 minutes, tossing around consistently. 
Dry roasted spices
  • Remove from heat and cool for 5-10 minutes
  • Discard the stems from the chilis
  • Grind the roasted ingredients and then blend in the remaining ingredients. 
Ground spices
  • Store the Berbere in an air tight container in a cool, dry place or if the weather is not conducive you can refrigerate as well.

Berbere in an air tight container
Close up


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