Atmit (warm barley gruel with spiced butter and honey)
Atmit: thin roasted-barley gruel sweetened with honey and finished with niter kibbeh
When a baby is born in an Amhara household, visiting women bring or cook atmit for the new mother, and the same soft, sippable gruel is made for anyone recovering from illness. Roasted barley flour (or oat flour) is whisked into water and simmered until it thickens to the texture of a thin custard, then enriched with a spoon of niter kibbeh, honey and a pinch of korerima. It tastes nutty, sweet and buttery, and is drunk warm from a cup rather than eaten with a spoon. Some homes add a little milk for extra richness. A common mistake is tipping the flour straight into hot water, which makes lumps; slake it in cold water first. Chef's tip: keep it thinner than you think; atmit thickens as it cools, and it should still pour easily from the cup.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ⅛ oz roasted barley flourbesso, or toasted oat flour
- 1 cup cold water
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 1 tbsp niter kibbehEthiopian spiced butter, see our recipe; or unsalted butter with a pinch of cardamom
- 2 tbsp honey
- ¼ tsp ground korerimaor ground green cardamom
- 1 pinch salt
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Whisk 2 ⅛ oz roasted barley flour into 1 cup cold water in a jug until completely smooth with no dry lumps.
Step 2: Bring 3 ¼ cups water to a simmer in a saucepan. Pour in the barley mixture, whisking constantly.
1 minStep 3: Simmer over a low heat for 10–12 minutes, whisking often, until it no longer tastes floury and coats the back of a spoon thinly.
11 minStep 4: Stir in 1 tbsp niter kibbeh, 2 tbsp honey, ¼ tsp ground korerima and 1 pinch salt until the butter melts. Add a splash of hot water if it is thicker than single cream.
1 minStep 5: Pour into cups and drink warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 130 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 21 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does atmit (warm barley gruel with spiced butter and honey) take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of honey?
- Maple syrup or golden syrup, same amount.
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