The Healthy Hedonist Holidays/Myra Kornfeld 2007

Berbere (Ethiopian Chile and Spice Paste)
Servings Preparation Time Cooking Time Temperature Notes Calories Trans Fat Saturated Fat Fat Sodium Carbohydrates Protein Cholesterol
1 cup paste Crush the cardamom pods by pressing down with the side of a knife.


INGREDIENTS:
2 ounces dried New Mexican or pasilla chiles (2 loosely packed cups) 5 hot dried red chiles, such as Indian red chiles, Thai chiles, or chiles de arbol 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced garlic 1/4 cup chopped red onion 1/2 cup water
seeds from 2 green cardamom pods 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seed 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon coriander seed 5 whole cloves 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt 1 cup finely chopped basil leaves



1 Cut the stems off the chiles. Open them and remove the seeds. (If you miss a few, it's not the end of the world.) Place the chiles in a medium pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, and let the chiles rest until softened, about 10 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, combine the ginger, garlic, onion, and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until the water is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Dry-toast the cardamom seeds, fenugreek, peppercorns, coriander, and cloves together in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes. Place in a mortar or spice ginder and grind to a powder.
3 Drain the chiles, discarding the soaking water. Place in a food processor along with the ginger-garlic mixture and the dried spices, including the cinnamon and salt. Process until you have a paste, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add the basil and process until well blended.
4 Spoon the paste into a clean glass jar. Seal well and refrigerate for up to 3 months.

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