🇪🇹 Ethiopian · Fish & Seafood
🌶️ Ethiopian Spiced Chilli Paste
አዋዜ — Awaze
Ethiopian Awaze — berbere spice blended with tej (Ethiopian honey wine) or wine and kibbeh into a thick, smooth, intensely spiced paste. Ethiopia's primary table condiment and marinade — the hot sauce used on kitfo, gored gored, tibs, and as a dipping sauce.
Awaze is what happens when berbere meets a liquid — the traditional liquid is tej (Ethiopian honey wine), but red wine, beer, or water work. The result is a smooth, pourable hot sauce that is the everyday table condiment of Ethiopian restaurants and homes.
Ingredients
Equipment: Bowl, Spoon
- 4 tbsp berbere
- 2 tbsp tej (Ethiopian honey wine) — or red wine or water
- 1 tbsp kibbeh — melted
- 1 tsp awaze (existing batch) — as starter (optional)
- ½ tsp salt
Method
- Combine berbere, tej (or wine), and kibbeh.
- Mix to a smooth, thick paste.
- Add salt to taste.
- Rest 30 minutes — the flavours meld.
- Use as a condiment, marinade, or dipping sauce.
Chef Tips
- Tej is the traditional liquid — it adds a honey-wine complexity.
- Adjust consistency with more or less liquid.
- Awaze improves over time — make it a day ahead.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Too thick — add more tej.
- Too thin — add more berbere.
The Science
The liquid in awaze extracts the water-soluble compounds from berbere (the organic acids, some water-soluble colour compounds) while the kibbeh extracts the fat-soluble compounds (carotenoids, capsaicin). This dual extraction produces a more complete flavour expression than either liquid or fat alone.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- Concentrated berbere antioxidants.
- Capsaicin from bird's eye chillies.
Cultural Note
Awaze is Ethiopia's answer to hot sauce — but where commercial hot sauces are one-dimensional, awaze is complex. The combination of berbere's 15+ spice compounds with the honey sweetness of tej and the richness of kibbeh produces a condiment of extraordinary depth.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Refrigerate 2 weeks.
Reheating: Not applicable.
Serve with: On kitfo (ETH029), On tibs (ETH022), As a marinade for fish and meat, As a table condiment for any Ethiopian dish