Awaze
Vegetarian
አዋዜ · awaze
Ethiopian and Eritrean chilli paste of berbere spice mixed with garlic, ginger and oil and loosened to a thick, spoonable dip for grilled meat and injera.
Awaze is an Ethiopian condiment, ready in about 20 minutes and made with berbere, garlic and fresh ginger. It serves 8 and is rated beginner to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Rest
- 15 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Beginner
- Calories
- 42
Method
Step 1
Mix the berbere (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger and salt in a bowl.
Step 2
Stir in the oil, lemon juice (opens in a new tab) and enough water to make a thick, glossy paste.
- 2 min
Step 3
Leave for 15 minutes so the spices hydrate; adjust with a little more water.
- 1 min
About this dish
- Origin
- Ethiopia · Commonly attributedShared by Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking.Also popular in EritreaMore food from Ethiopia
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes · Dips & spreads
- Cooking method
- No-cook
- Taste
- spicy (chilli heat), aromatic / warmly spiced, earthy, garlicky
- Diet
- Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carbWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · DASH-style - Good for
- Make-ahead
- Cook more with
- Berbere · Garlic · Fresh ginger · Lemon juice
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
42 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 16 g · recipe makes 8
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 4%
- Carbohydrate 19%
- Fat 76%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 42 kcal | 256 kcal |
| Protein | 0.5 g | 3.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 2.2 g | 13.6 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 1.1 g | 6.6 g |
| Sugars | 0.3 g | 2.1 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 1.1 g | 7 g |
| Fat | 3.9 g | 23.8 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.3 g | 2 g |
| Trans fat | 0 g | 0.1 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 237 mg | 1460 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 3.6 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 71 mg
- Calcium
- 13 mg
- Iron
- 0.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 5 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 47 µg
- Vitamin C
- 2 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 2 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Berbere: Blended chili powder (FDC 171319) used as a stand-in; berbere is a chilli-based Ethiopian/Eritrean blend with fenugreek, coriander and warm spices and has a broadly similar profile.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Taste your berbere first — blends vary a lot in heat and salt; adjust the salt accordingly.
Common mistakes
- Making it too thin — awaze should be a thick paste that clings to meat.
Serve with
- Dip for tibs (sautéed meat), kitfo or grilled lamb, with injera.
- Rub on chicken before grilling.
Storage
- Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Variations
- Traditional awaze: Ethiopian cooks often loosen the paste with tej (honey wine) or tella (home-brewed beer); this version is alcohol-free.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Goes with
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
Masalas in this recipe
Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.
Dry spice blend
Berbere spice blend
This recipe uses 4 tbsp (25 g for 8 servings of 15 g).
Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.
Customise in Sauce & DrizzleReviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
Ghanaian · 1 h 15 min · 102 kcal
Eritrean · 2 h 5 min · 295 kcal