Genfo (Ethiopian Porridge)
A satisfying vegan built around niter kibbeh, berbere spice and ground nigella seeds β roughly 60 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for oven and saucepan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, the ingredients are plant-based.
What you'll need
Shopping list (3)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- Bring the water to a rolling boil in a heavy saucepan and stir in the salt.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and gradually rain in the roasted barley flour while stirring constantly with a sturdy wooden spoon to prevent lumps from forming.
- Keep stirring and pressing the porridge against the side of the pan for 8 to 10 minutes until it pulls together into a thick, smooth, elastic dough that holds its shape.
- Mound the genfo into a wide serving bowl and use the back of a wet spoon to hollow out a well in the centre.
- Warm the niter kibbeh until just melted, stir the berbere into it, and pour this spiced butter into the central well.
- Drizzle the honey around the edges and sprinkle the ground nigella seeds over the top.
- Serve immediately while hot, eating by pinching off pieces of the dough and dipping them into the warm spiced butter well.
You'll use: Oven Β· Saucepan Β· Pan
Ingredient substitutions
- Honey
- maple syrup Β· agave
Tips & common questions
How long does Genfo (Ethiopian Porridge) take to make?
About 60 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 7 steps and 7 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of honey?
Try maple syrup. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Genfo (Ethiopian Porridge) vegan?
Based on its ingredients, this recipe contains no meat, fish, dairy or egg, so it looks vegan-friendly. Always double-check labels on packaged items.
Related recipes
Genfo (Ethiopian Porridge) is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Ga'at food.jpg by Stefan Alfons Tzeggai, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.