Zigni
Zigni
Zigni is a traditional Eritrean dish of stewed beef in a tomato sauce seasoned with berbere spice. The dish is always served on top of injera. Zigni is fairly spicy, so adjust the amounts of berbere to fit your taste buds.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 lbs beef stew meat
- 2 medium tomatoes diced
- 3 green onions chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 4 tbsp berbere
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat up cooking oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add in the beef and brown for 5-6 minutes.
- Add in the green onions and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Mix in the berbere spice and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the tomatoes. Season with salt.
- Cover and simmer over low heat for 2 hours.
- When finished, the sauce should be smooth and the beef will be tender.
Berbere Spice
Berbere spice is a building block for all East African cuisine. It has a nice smokey and spicy taste. It is the main spice ingredient in Zigni, Doro Wat, and many other Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Somali dishes. Berbere spice is great on meat, fish, vegetables, and eggs.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 tbsp granulated garlic
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tbsp fenugreek seeds
- 1/2 tbsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp cardamom
Instructions
- If you have any whole spices, lightly dry toast them in a pan for a couple of minutes. Then grind them in a coffee grinder used for spices only, or grind them by hand in a mortar and pestle. Mix all the spices together.
Injera
Injera is an East African staple, eaten with just about every meal. Similar in appearance to a buckwheat crepe, the injera is made out of teff flour. Teff is a grain grown in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The flour is mixed into a thin pancake like batter. The batter is left to ferment in the refrigerator for 2 days, giving the injera a flavor similar to sourdough. When ready to cook, ladle some of the batter on an oiled nonstick pan over high heat. The injera takes no more than 2 minutes to make, with no flipping required. The batter is thin enough to cook completely through. The injera is torn and eaten as a scoop for your food.
Equipment
- upright mixer
Ingredients
- 2 cups teff flour
- 1/2 package dry active yeast
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients except the salt in an upright mixer for a minute.
- Add the salt and blend for 15 seconds.
- Cover the batter and let sit in the refrigerator for 2 days.
- Lightly oil a nonstick pan over high heat. Pour a ladles worth of the batter into the pan, making a circular shape.
- Cook on 1 side for up to 2 minutes. No flipping required.
You must be logged in to post a comment.