This spicy dipping sauce is made from whisking berbere spice blend with tej (honey wine or mead), wine, beer, the potent anise-flavored spirit arak, or even just a mixture of water and honey. Culturally, the berbere used for awaze is slightly different from regular berbere since most of the grains must be removed in the making to gain a final strong red color and mellow spicy taste. No matter how it is prepared, the goal is to find a balance between the spicy, sweet, and sour elements, and to revive some of the subtle spices used in preparing berbere.
Awaze generally accompanies meats—it is key with kurt (a raw meat dish) and used in preparing strips of zilzil tibs—but it can also be used with vegetarian dishes such as dinich alicha or ater kik alicha. While it should be runny and drizzle off a spoon, the final consistency varies from house to house.
There are three versions below; choose your preferred ingredients and follow the relevant method.
Ingredients
Makes about ⅓ cup (3½ oz/100 g)
Version one:
Version two:
Version three:
For version one:
Step 1
Whisk together the berbere powder and tej in a small bowl until well blended. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
For version two:
Step 2
Whisk the honey into the wine in a small bowl until well dissolved. Add the berbere powder and whisk again until blended. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
For version three:
Step 3
Place the berbere powder in a small bowl and whisk with the pastis, ouzo, or arake until smooth and it pours easily off a spoon. Add a touch more liquid if needed. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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