Berbere spice is a spice blend often used in Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking. A traditional berbere blend can include more than a dozen spices, but the key ingredients are usually red chili peppers, fenugreek, and ginger. Other common ingredients include coriander, cardamom, allspice, cumin, peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon. Lesser-known spices that might be included are korarima, ajwain, and long pepper. You can get some here.
This chicken curry recipe uses this spice blend as it’s main flavoring component, along with garlic and ginger. This particular recipe uses coconut milk to make it creamy, but you can also use a little cream instead of the coconut milk. I also added a ton of spinach to this curry, sort of inspired by the Indian dish Saag. This is a pretty simple recipe to make and it is very nutritious and tasty. 🙂
Berbere Spice Chicken Curry with Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 2 tbsp Berbere spice start with 1 and adjust to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 14.5 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 can coconut milk or 1/2 cup cream or half and half
- 6 cups fresh spinach or 1 package frozen
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat with the oil until hot. Add the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onion, garlic and ginger, and continue to cook for a few more minutes.
- Add the spice mix, coconut milk, and tomato sauce. Simmer on low for about 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Add a little water if needed if it gets too thick.
- Add in the spinach, taste the mixture and add more spice mix, salt or pepper if needed. Serve with rice.