Dabo Kolo
ዳቦ ቆሎ·(dah-bo koh-lo)
Buna in the Suburbs: The Weekend Coffee Ceremony
Coffee in an Ethiopian household is never consumed in a vacuum. It requires a snack that can hold its own against the dark, incense-laden air of the living room. Enter Dabo Kolo. These fiery, crunchy, bite-sized nuggets are highly addictive and get their soul from being tossed in a dry skillet, blistering slightly against hot iron. The secret your grandma knew? Don't bother with a knife. Grab a pair of kitchen scissors and snip the dough straight into the pan.
Ingredients
- all-purpose flour2 cup
- authentic Berbere spice blend2 tbsp
- granulated sugar1 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- vegetable oil1/4 cup
- warm water1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Vigorously mix the flour, Berbere, sugar, and salt until the mixture turns a beautiful, dusty terracotta color.
- 02
Form a stiff dough with the oil and warm water.
Create a well in the center and pour in the oil and water. Mix with your hands until a shaggy dough forms, then turn it out onto a counter to knead for three to five minutes until smooth. If it feels too dusty, add more water a tablespoon at a time. The dough must be stiff, not sticky.
- 03
Let the dough rest under a damp towel for ten minutes.
This relaxes the gluten, making the stiff dough infinitely easier to roll out.
- 04
Roll the dough into long, thin ropes.
Pinch off a golf ball-sized handful and roll it under your palms against the counter until it is roughly the thickness of a pencil.
- 05
Snip the dough directly into a hot, dry cast-iron skillet.
Heat a large, ungreased cast-iron skillet over medium. Hold a dough rope in one hand and kitchen scissors in the other, snipping half-inch pieces straight into the pan. The scissors naturally pinch the ends, giving them their iconic pillowy shape. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding.
- 06
Toast the bites until deeply blistered and crisp.
Keep the pieces moving with a wooden spoon for fifteen to twenty minutes. You are looking for a deep, golden-brown color and a hard, hollow sound when they tap against the cast iron.
- 07
Transfer to a baking sheet to cool completely.
They will continue to crisp up as they come down to room temperature. Serve alongside freshly brewed coffee, or store in an airtight container for weeks.
Notes
The oven method backup plan.
If you simply don't have the bandwidth to stand at the stove on a weeknight, preheat your oven to 350°F. Snip the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through. The texture will be slightly smoother, but the flavor remains undeniably authentic.
Flour and fat upgrades.
For a deeper, earthier flavor native to the homeland, swap out a half cup of the all-purpose flour for Ivory Teff flour. You can also swap the vegetable oil for melted Niter Kibbeh (spiced clarified butter) if you aren't observing an Orthodox fasting day.