Okay before I quite make it to the other border amidst all the travels that intervened, I am way, way overdue to make something for Ethiopia on the Virtual African Loop.
In this case the dish we’ve long awaited was Berbere Chicken.
Often when a recipe calls for a seasoning blend that’s not something I keep on hand, I check first to see if it’s made of things I already know and already have. No sense in buying curry powder if I own all the spices that go into it, separately. I don’t make curry often enough to warrant a pre-mixed blend, but I have all the parts if I need it. The same principle applies to taco or fajita seasoning. And so on.
In the case of Berbere, depending on the recipe there were either one or two things I didn’t have on hand and one I had never heard of, let alone have on hand. And in one case, fenugreek — that spice wasn’t any more readily available than the Berbere itself.
I hate to say it but… Amazon to the rescue.
It didn’t take me terribly long to make this dish. Deciding on a veggie to go with it was the big puzzler (I went with asparagus btw). I opted to buy naan rather than buy special flour to make injera. I made rice, and I regret to report that my rice cooker is for sure on its last legs.
Wait, you wonder … you served rice AND bread? Did you really need two starches?
Yes, yes we did. This dish is HOT.
It’s also delicious. 10/10. I hope Berbere or its less-common ingredients get more easy to find.
aka gringita 