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Shiro Wat (Chickpea Flour Stew)

Name: Shiro Wat (Chickpea Flour Stew)
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Ethiopian
Ingredients: 1 cup shiro powder (ground roasted chickpeas with spices); 2 onions, finely minced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated; 2 tomatoes, chopped; 1 tbsp berbere; 3 tbsp niter kibbeh; 3 cups water; salt to taste

Shiro Wat (Chickpea Flour Stew) reads umami 6.5, salinity 5.7 and allium 4.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Ethiopian main, about 30 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 7.7 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 3.3 / 10
Sour & Bright — 4.7 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.3 / 10
Rich & Fat — 1.3 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 5.3 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.5 · Salinity 5.7 · Allium 4.9 · Sourness 4.4 · Funk & Ferment 3.5 · Sweetness 2.6 · Warm Spice 2.3 · Bitterness 2.1 · Marine & Briny 2.1 · Fruity 2.0 · Floral 1.3 · Herbaceous 1.2 · Richness 1.1 · Citrus 0.9 · Earthy 0.8

What's in it (9)

1 cup shiro powder (ground roasted chickpeas with spices)
2 onions, finely minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp berbere
3 tbsp niter kibbeh
3 cups water
salt to taste

Time & effort: about 30 min · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 20.4 kcal, 1.6 g protein, 0.2 g fat, 3.2 g carbs

Dietary: Vegan — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (4 steps)

Saute onions in niter kibbeh until soft, add garlic, ginger, tomato, and a spoonful of berbere and cook a few minutes.
Whisk shiro powder gradually into simmering water to avoid lumps, then pour into the onion base.
Cook, stirring frequently, over low heat for 20-30 minutes until the stew is thick, smooth, and the raw flour taste has disappeared.
Serve on injera.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Matambre Arrollado — Argentine
Picadillo — Latin American
Puntarelle alla Romana con Salsa di Alici — Italian · Rome
Thai Cucumber Salad — Thai
Turkey Brine — Other

Keep reading: what umami, salinity, allium mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.