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Kolo
Kolo (ቆሎ): dry-roasted barley with chickpeas and peanuts, passed round in small bowls at the coffee ceremony
While the beans are roasted and the coffee is brewed three times over, a basket or small bowl of kolo goes round the room, and guests take a handful between cups. It is the simplest of snacks: whole barley grains roasted in a dry pan until they crack and smell like toast, mixed with roasted chickpeas and peanuts, sometimes with sunflower seeds or a little berbere. The barley is crunchy and nutty, the peanuts rich, the chickpeas mealy. Street sellers in Addis Ababa scoop it into paper cones, and families keep a jar for children's lunchboxes and long journeys. Note that barley contains gluten. Chef's tip: sprinkle a little salted water over the barley in the last minute of roasting; it evaporates instantly and leaves the salt clinging to every grain.
- Total time
- 23 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 7 oz whole hulled barleynot pearl barley, which stays hard; use wheat berries as an alternative
- 3 ½ oz raw peanutsskins on or off
- 3 ½ oz ready-roasted chickpeascrunchy dried roasted chickpeas from Middle Eastern or Turkish shops
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp water
- ½ tsp berbere (optional)for a spiced kolo
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Dissolve ¾ tsp salt in 2 tbsp water in a small cup and set it by the stove.
Step 2: Put 3 ½ oz raw peanuts in a large heavy frying pan over a medium-low heat and roast for 6–8 minutes, stirring often, until golden and fragrant. Tip into a bowl.
7 minStep 3: Add 7 oz whole hulled barley to the same pan, still over a medium-low heat. Roast for 8–10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the grains turn deep golden, swell slightly and start to crack and pop. Turning the heat up to hurry it is the usual mistake: the outside burns while the inside stays hard.
9 minStep 4: Sprinkle the salted water over the barley, stir for 30–60 seconds until it has all evaporated, then add ½ tsp berbere if using and stir once more.
1 minStep 5: Toss the barley with the peanuts and 3 ½ oz ready-roasted chickpeas and spread on a tray to cool completely. Serve in small bowls, or store in an airtight jar for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 270 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kolo take?
- About 23 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 18 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of ready-roasted chickpeas?
- Cannellini or butter beans, same amount.
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