Nifro, Ethiopian Boiled Grains and Legumes
Nifro is the boiled-grain snack Ethiopian and Eritrean cooks put out on fasting days, a plain pot of chickpeas and cracked wheat and barley eaten warm from the hand. It is humble food built for sharing, and it costs almost nothing. Cook the beans and grains together until each is tender but still holds its shape, then wake the bowl up with raw chile, onion, and a squeeze of lemon. It keeps for days in the fridge and travels well, which is why it doubles as road food.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Chickpeas, dried, soaked overnight
- 1/2 cup Hulled barley
- 1/2 cup Farro
- 1 Jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 1/4 Red onions, finely diced
- 2 tbsp Sunflower seeds
- 1/2 Lemons, juiced
Method
- Drain the soaked chickpeas and put them in a pot with the barley and farro. Cover by two inches (5 cm) with unsalted water and bring to a boil. Salting the water now would firm the chickpea skins and slow the cooking, so leave it plain.
- Lower to a steady simmer and cook until every grain and bean is tender but still whole, 50 to 60 minutes. You want them soft enough to eat by the handful but not collapsing, since nifro is about texture and chew.
- Drain well and spread the mix on a tray to cool for 10 minutes. Draining and cooling stops the residual heat from turning the grains gummy.
- Toss the warm grains with the minced chile, red onion, sunflower seeds, and lemon juice. The lemon seasons the whole bowl in place of salt, and the raw onion and chile keep a plain pot of grains from tasting flat. Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 200 calories, 10 g protein, 9 g fiber, 20 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
