Zigni

Ingredients

Stew

• 1 kgbeef chuck or shin, cut into 3 cm cubes
• 1 kgred onions, very finely chopped
• 100 gtesmi (spiced clarified butter)
• 3 tbspsunflower oil
• 5 tbspberbere
• 2 tbsptomato puree
• 3tomatoes, grated
• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• 1thumb ginger, grated
• 1 tspground korarima
• ½ tspground fenugreek
• ¼ tspground cloves
• 700 mlwater
• salt

To serve

• taita or injera
• 200 gajibo (fresh curd cheese)
• 1red onion and 4 green chillies, sliced and dressed with lemon juice

Directions

1. Cook the onions in a dry heavy pot over medium-low heat, with no fat whatsoever, stirring often for 30–40 minutes until they have collapsed to a soft rust-brown pulp. This is the base of every Eritrean stew and cannot be hurried with oil.
2. Add the oil and half the tesmi with the garlic and ginger and cook 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the berbere and tomato puree and fry for a full 10 minutes on low, adding a splash of water whenever it sticks, until the oil separates out red at the edges and the chilli smells sweet and toasted rather than sharp. Zigni is won or lost at this step.
4. Add the grated tomatoes and cook 5 minutes more until the mixture is thick and jammy.
5. Raise the heat, add the beef and turn it in the paste for 5 minutes so every cube is sealed and coated.
6. Pour in the water, cover and simmer at the lowest possible heat for 1 ½ hours, stirring the bottom every 20 minutes, until the beef shreds under a fork.
7. Uncover and reduce for a further 15–20 minutes until the oil rises again and the sauce mounds on a spoon rather than running off it.
8. Off the heat stir in the korarima, fenugreek, cloves and remaining tesmi, rest 10 minutes, then ladle straight onto taita with ajibo and the raw chilli-and-onion salad on the side.

Technique

• Zigni should be thick enough to sit on the injera without soaking it through in seconds; if it is soupy, it needed longer uncovered.
• Berbere is stirred in early and cooked, never sprinkled over at the end. Raw berbere tastes dusty and burns rather than warms.
• Cuts with connective tissue, shin and chuck, are correct here; lean steak dries out over two hours and gives the sauce no body.
• Zigni and the Ethiopian key wat are close cousins; the Eritrean version generally carries more tomato and a slightly looser hand with the onions.

Substitutions

• Goat or lamb shoulder is a common and entirely traditional swap, needing about 20 minutes less simmering.

Variations

• In Asmara zigni is regularly served over spaghetti, a lasting mark of Italian rule and now a genuinely Eritrean dish in its own right.
• Some cooks finish the pot with a spoonful of honey wine (mies) for a rounder, sweeter edge.

History

Widely called Eritrea’s national dish and eaten from a shared injera; berbere stews spread through the Tigrinya highlands after chilies reached Red Sea ports.

Frequently asked questions

What is Zigni?

Zigni is a soup & stew from Eritrea: long-simmered beef stew fiery with berbere, ladled over injera. Widely called Eritrea’s national dish and eaten from a shared injera; berbere stews spread through the Tigrinya highlands after chilies reached Red Sea ports.

How long does Zigni take to make?

Zigni takes 30 min of preparation and 2 hr 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Zigni?

Yes, within limits. Goat or lamb shoulder is a common and entirely traditional swap, needing about 20 minutes less simmering.

What is the most important thing to get right in Zigni?

Stir in the berbere and tomato puree and fry for a full 10 minutes on low, adding a splash of water whenever it sticks, until the oil separates out red at the edges and the chilli smells sweet and toasted rather than sharp. Zigni is won or lost at this step.