Berbere (Ethiopian Spice Mixture) - Simplified Version (Dry Ingredients Only)

Richly spiced, complex, and wonderfully flavourful - berbere is foundational in Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking for a good reason!

This berbere requires only dry ingredients, as it bypasses the 'wet' (delez) step used to make traditional berbere. As is, the recipe makes approx 100 grams (3/4 cup). This can easily be scaled up.

Course Spice mixes

Cuisine African, Eritrean, Ethiopian

Keyword berbere spice blend, Ethiopian spices

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Total Time 15

Servings grams

Calories 27kcal

Equipment

high speed blender (optional)
spice grinder

Ingredients

50 g dried chilies (see note on varieties)
3 Tbsp red pepper powder or paprika (see note)
1 tsp dried ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp black pepper or long pepper
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp ajwain (optional)
1/2 tsp korarima or green cardamom (see note)
1/2 tsp nigella (optional)
1/2 tsp holy basil (beso bela) (optional - see note)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2-3 allspice berries
4 cloves

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Prep

Sift through any whole spices to make sure there are no stones, stems, etc.
If you're using whole chilies, remove the stems. You can also remove the seeds if you wish to reduce the spice level. If you do, you may wish to add a little extra chili pepper to make up for the lost volume of seeds.

Making the Berbere

Warm a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the whole chilies and toast for 30-45 seconds, or until pliable and fragrant. Remove and set aside.
Add the whole spices to the pan and toast, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute or until similarly fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
(Note: ground spices can be toasted, but are much more likely to burn, and are generally harder to get out of the pan. If you choose to toast these, do so carefully.)
Combine the chilies and all of the spices in a high speed blender or food processor. Blend at high speed until the mixture has broken down as much as possible.
Transfer about 1/4 of the mixture to a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder. Grind until a fine powder is produced. Set aside and repeat with remaining portions.
(Optional) Sift the berbere with a strainer to catch any lingering hard bits of husks or seeds.
Store your finished berbere in an airtight container. It will last for 3-4 months before starting to lose flavour - longer if refrigerated.

Notes

Chili varieties - If you can obtain red or brown Ethiopian dried chilies, then by all means use them. If they're unavailable, there are a variety of flavourful options that can be used to deliver differing levels of spiciness. For a milder heat, I recommend Kashmiri chilies. For something a little hotter, Mexican guajillo chilies are great. I personally don't recommend going very spicy (this is what the related spice blend mitmita is for), but you could push things in that direction with árbol chilies, or a similarly spicy red variety.

Paprika/Pepper Powder - the variations here give you a lot of leeway in terms of adjusting how spicy your berbere is going to turn out. For the mildest of berbere mixes, use a good quality sweet paprika. For a moderately spicy mixture (my preference), try a ground red chili like Korean gochugaru, or a spicy paprika. I wouldn't recommend using too much cayenne, but you could also use some alongside a milder chili powder in order to hit your desired spice level.

Korarima - Korarima seeds (usually out of the pod) can be found at most Ethiopian and Eritrean stores. If you can't find korarima, green cardamom (NOT black) is very similar and can be used as a 1:1 substitute.

Besobela - Besobela is an African holy basil variety. Like korarima, it can generally be found at Ethiopian and Eritrean stores. If you can't find it, Thai holy basil (NOT sweet basil) works nicely. In a pinch, you can use half the quantity of sweet basil plus a little extra allspice.

Nutrition