These berbere spiced skewers are the perfect summer recipe. Packed with savoury, umami and slightly sweet spices served on top of a simple tomato relish, it is such a great plant based protein addition to any summer lunch. It can also be meal prepped in advance and enjoyed all week. This recipe is vegetarian and vegan friendly
Why you will love these Berbere Tofu Skewers
- Beyond the fact that it is incredibly delicious, it is also simple to make too.
- It is a great introduction to East African flavours with a spice combination that reflects centuries of cross cultural exchange through trade across the Indian Ocean
- It is a bright and fun recipe that can be added to any meal prep
What is Berbere Spice
Berbere spice is a hallmark spice blend hailing from East Africa. It is specifically used in many Eritrean and Ethiopian dishes to add a signature savoury, bright and slightly spicy flavour to dishes such as Doro (Chicken) or Shiro (Ground Chickpea) wat (stew) etc.
Berbere (which roughly translates to dry pepper in Tigrinya or Amharic) spice blend consists of more than 10 different spices — a combination of indigenous African spices like Korarima, a type of grains of paradise (I have a dedicated post on this spice and its difference from the West African version), as well as various spices found in South Asian cooking like coriander seeds, cloves, and black pepper. There are many recipes available online for a homemade version but these do not fully incorporate the traditional approach to making berbere spice. I highly recommend checking out Diversivore’s content on this topic. But for the good stuff, I recommend visiting a Habesha (Ethiopian/Eritrean) grocery store to find some or you can purchase a blend from Burlap and Barrel that source their blend straight from Ethiopia.
What Ingredients you will need for Berbere Skewers and Relish
Skewers
- 2 blocks of extra firm tofu cut into large cubes. Using the firmness maintains the integrity of the tofu when mixing and marinating.
- Tomato Paste for a rich colour and savoury flavour
- Brown Sugar to add some sweetness
- Neutral oil to create a marinating paste
- Salt. While included in the recipe, taste the berbere spice first to check if has salt and adjust accordingly
- Berbere – Ethiopian/Eritrean chilli based spice blend, see above paragraph on how to find the best blend.
Tomato Relish
- Fresh Tomatoes
- Tomato paste for a rich savoury flavour
- Water
- Salt
- Berbere Spice
How to make Berbere Tofu Skewers and Tomato Relish
- Mix the berbere marinade and generously coat the tofu. Allow the tofu to marinate for at least 30 minutes
- Skewer and bake the tofu in the oven, airfryer or on a hot grill
- While the tofu is cooking, cook down the tomato relish
- Serve and enjoy
Tips for success
- Marinate the tofu for more than 30 minutes to really infuse flavour
- I recommend using extra firm tofu to retain as much shape as possible
- Cook the tomato relish at medium-high heat, partially closed so that the sauce can reduce and thicken within 20 minutes.
Serving and Storing
- These skewers pair perfectly with my Golden Spiced Rice
- The kebabs can be stored in the fridge with the relish for up to 4 days.
Ingredients
Kebab
- 2 blocks firm tofu cut into large cubes 2 x 400g blocks
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons berbere spice
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons of tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt see note
Tomato Relish
- 3 tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 cup water 120ml
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon berbere spice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Mix the oil, berbere spice blend, sugar, tomato paste into a paste and massage it all over the tofu. Taste the tofu and adjust the salt based on personal preference. Cover the tofu and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- If you are using wooden skewers, soak in a large bowl of water.
- Before you skewer the tofu, preheat your oven to 450°F. Alternatively, these can be grilled like any kebab or made in the airfryer at 375°F for 10-15 minutes.
- Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and spread a very light amount of oil on the aluminium to avoid sticking.
- Skewer the tofu and place on the aluminium foil.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, flipping halfway.
- While the tofu is baking, mix the 1/2 cup of water with whatever marinade is left in the bowl used to marinate the tofu and add this liquid to a medium pot along with the rest of the ingredient for the relish. Taste for salt and adjust based on preference.
- Partially cover the pot and cook the tomato base at medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce has thicken to almost the consistency of pasta sauce. Mix periodically to avoid the bottom from burning.
- Serve the kebab with the tomato relish.