Shiro is an Eritrean and Ethiopian stew made from powdered chickpeas (or broad beans) cooked with onions, garlic, niter kibbeh (spiced butter), berbere or mitmita spice, and water until it forms a thick, silky sauce. It is always served on injera and is naturally vegan when niter kibbeh is omitted.

Shiro is made from chickpea flour, spices, garlic, and onion — it is naturally vegan. However, traditional recipes use niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter), making it vegetarian but not vegan. Ask your server to prepare shiro with oil instead if you require vegan-only preparation.

Shiro in Dubai — Eritrean Chickpea Stew Guide 2026

Ask any Eritrean in Dubai which dish they miss most from home and a surprising number will say shiro — not the showier zigni or the theatrical tsebhi dorho, but this simple, silky stew of ground chickpea flour, spices, and butter. Shiro is the everyday dish of Eritrea, the comfort food that fills kitchens with the scent of roasted legumes and berbere every morning. It is naturally vegan (or close to it), extraordinarily cheap to produce, and yet when made properly it is one of the most deeply satisfying dishes in all of East African cuisine. Dubai has a handful of places that make it right. Here's how to find them.

What Is Shiro?

Shiro is a stew made from powdered or ground chickpeas (sometimes also broad beans or lentils) that are cooked in water or broth with onions, garlic, niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter), and spices — usually berbere, mitmita, or a milder blend. The powder dissolves as it cooks, creating a thick, creamy, porridge-like sauce with a nutty, slightly smoky flavour. It has none of the chunky texture of Western chickpea dishes — shiro is perfectly smooth.

There are two main categories: shiro wet (thick, scoopable) and shiro qibe (enriched with extra niter kibbeh, making it glossy and unctuous). In Eritrea, shiro is eaten at every meal — sometimes as a quick breakfast, often as a daily lunch, and always as the budget option on a communal platter. In Dubai, finding authentic shiro at AED 35–45 is one of the city's genuine cheap-eat discoveries.

The 4 Types of Shiro

Classic

Shiro Wet

The standard version — ground chickpeas cooked to a thick, pourable consistency. Deep orange-brown from berbere, with a smooth, almost porridge-like texture. Poured generously onto injera. This is what most Dubai restaurants serve as their base shiro. AED 35–45.

Enriched

Shiro Qibe (Butter Shiro)

Shiro enriched with an extra dollop of niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter) swirled in at the end. Creates a glossy, rich, almost luxurious surface that contrasts with the nuttiness of the chickpea base. The premium version. AED 42–55.

Spicy

Shiro Berbere

Made with a higher ratio of berbere spice blend — hotter, more complex, with a distinct chilli warmth that builds through the meal. Colour is deeper red-orange. For those who want heat with their chickpeas. AED 38–50.

Leftover Classic

Shiro Fitfit

Cooled, leftover shiro mixed with torn pieces of day-old injera that absorb the stew. Served cold or at room temperature as a breakfast. The combination of fermented injera and rehydrated shiro creates a completely different, more complex flavour. AED 22–32.

Best Places to Eat Shiro in Dubai

🥇 Best Shiro in Dubai

Mesob Restaurant — Al Karama

📍 Al Karama · 💰 AED 40 per serving · 🕐 10am–11:30pm daily · Vegan-friendly

Mesob's shiro is the finest in Dubai — cooked low and slow for over an hour until it reaches a creamy consistency that defies the humble ingredients. The kitchen uses its own berbere blend, and the shiro carries a gentle warmth that builds through the meal. The beyayenet platter (AED 50) includes shiro alongside six other dishes on injera, but ordering shiro separately (AED 40) lets you appreciate it properly. Order shiro qibe (with extra butter) if it's available that day. The kitchen also makes a remarkable shiro fitfit for AED 28 — one of the best breakfast dishes in Al Karama.

Order: Shiro AED 40 · Shiro Qibe AED 45 · Shiro Fitfit AED 28 · Beyayenet Platter AED 50

🥈 Runner-Up

Al Habasha Restaurant — Deira

📍 Al Rigga, Deira · 💰 AED 42 per serving · 🕐 7am–2am daily

Al Habasha's shiro is slightly looser in consistency than Mesob's but compensates with a more complex spice profile — there's a distinctly smoky note that comes from their house berbere blend, and the niter kibbeh gives it a buttery richness that is deeply comforting. Available all day from opening, making it the city's best shiro breakfast option when combined with their fresh injera and Ethiopian coffee at 8am. The morning shiro (before 10am) is slightly thinner and milder — the afternoon version, reduced by several hours of slow cooking, is thicker and more concentrated.

Order: Shiro AED 42 · Morning Shiro + Injera AED 48 · Habasha Special (includes shiro) AED 85

Zagol Restaurant — Al Karama

📍 Opp. BurJuman, Al Karama · 💰 AED 35 per serving · 🕐 10am–11pm daily

Zagol's shiro is the thickest and most textured of Dubai's top Eritrean restaurants — it retains a slight graininess from the chickpea powder that many Eritreans consider more authentic than the silky-smooth versions elsewhere. It comes as part of every platter but can be ordered standalone for an excellent AED 35. The household nature of the cooking here extends to the shiro: it tastes like something made for family rather than customers, which is the highest compliment possible for this dish.

Order: Shiro AED 35 · Zagol Platter (includes shiro) AED 55

Shiro Ordering Guide — All Dubai Eritrean Restaurants

Restaurant	Area	Shiro Style	Price	Vegan?	Rating
Mesob Restaurant	Al Karama	Silky, slow-cooked	AED 40	Ask for oil version	9.4/10
Al Habasha	Deira	Smoky, buttery	AED 42	Ask for oil version	9.1/10
Zagol Restaurant	Al Karama	Thick, textured	AED 35	Can be vegan	8.8/10
Milen Restaurant	Al Satwa	Spicy, chilli-forward	AED 38	Ask for oil version	8.5/10
Habesha Restaurant	Deira	Traditional, mild	AED 36	Yes (on request)	8.2/10
Asmara Café	Al Barsha	Light, mild, café-style	AED 32	Yes	7.9/10

Vegan travellers note: Shiro is nearly vegan by default — the main non-vegan ingredient is niter kibbeh (spiced butter). All good Eritrean restaurants in Dubai will substitute vegetable oil on request. The beyayenet (vegan platter) at Mesob and Zagol includes shiro and always uses oil rather than butter.

Shiro vs. Other Eritrean Dishes

Shiro occupies a unique position in Eritrean cuisine: it is simultaneously the everyday cheap dish and the most technically demanding to get right. Zigni is easier — brown meat, add berbere, simmer. Shiro requires constant attention: the powder must be added slowly to avoid lumps, stirred continuously as it cooks, spiced at precisely the right moment, and finished with perfectly judged butter enrichment. A bad shiro is pasty and flavourless. A great shiro is one of the most satisfying things you can eat.

If you are new to Eritrean food, start with the beyayenet vegan platter (which includes shiro) at Mesob or Zagol. The platter lets you compare shiro against misir (red lentils), gomen (collard greens), fossolia (green beans), and other dishes on the same injera base — giving you a complete picture of Eritrean vegetable cookery at around AED 50.

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Shiro in Dubai