🇹 Ethiopian · Street Food & Snacks
🥜 Ethiopian Spiced Roasted Peanuts
ሰሊጥ ቆሎ — Groundnut Qolo
Ethiopian Spiced Roasted Peanuts — raw peanuts dry-roasted with salt, mitmita, and berbere. The Ethiopian street vendor staple — sold in paper cones at every market, bus stop, and street corner, eaten as a walking snack throughout the day.
Spiced roasted peanuts are the most portable and affordable protein snack in Ethiopia — the street vendors who sell them from large flat pans on charcoal are a fixture of Ethiopian urban life. The mitmita-berbere spicing makes them distinctly Ethiopian.
Ingredients
Equipment: Heavy dry pan
- 2 cups raw peanuts — in shell or shelled
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- ¼ tsp mitmita
- ¼ tsp berbere
Method
- Heat a heavy dry pan over medium heat.
- Add raw peanuts.
- Roast stirring constantly 15—18 minutes until the shells are lightly charred and the peanuts smell roasted.
- If shelled: 12—14 minutes until golden.
- Remove from heat. Immediately toss with salt, mitmita, and berbere while hot.
- Cool. The spices adhere as the peanuts cool.
Chef Tips
- In-shell peanuts are traditional — the shell chars slightly, adding a smoky note.
- Add spices while hot — they adhere better to the warm, slightly oily surface.
- Stir constantly — peanuts burn quickly once they start browning.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Not stirring — burns one side.
- Adding spices when cold — they fall off.
The Science
Raw peanuts contain a high concentration of p-coumaric acid (a weak antioxidant). Roasting converts this to resveratrol — the same powerful antioxidant found in red wine — dramatically increasing the nutritional benefit. The Maillard reactions also produce pyrazines, responsible for the characteristic roasted peanut aroma.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- Very high in protein and healthy fats.
- Roasting converts p-coumaric acid to resveratrol.
- High in magnesium and niacin.
Cultural Note
Spiced roasted peanuts are the sound and smell of Ethiopian street life — the vendor's pan on glowing charcoal, the scent of roasting nuts drifting through the market, the paper cone cone filled to order. They are the most democratic food in Ethiopia — available to everyone.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Airtight container — 2 weeks.
Reheating: Not needed.
Serve with: As a walking street snack, With tej (ETH095) in tej houses, As a market snack