Mitin shiro

Step 1: Pick over 10 ½ oz dried chickpeas and 7 oz dried yellow or green split peas for stones, rinse briefly and spread them on a tea towel to dry completely, about 1 hour, or pat dry and leave for 15 minutes on a tray in a 200°F oven. Damp legumes steam instead of roasting.

Step 2: Put the chickpeas in a large heavy frying pan over a medium-low heat. Roast for 15–20 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden all over, a few darker freckles appear and they smell nutty. Tip onto a tray.

Step 3: Roast the split peas the same way for 10–12 minutes, until evenly golden. They colour faster than the chickpeas, so keep stirring.

Step 4: Leave everything to cool completely, at least 30 minutes. Grinding legumes while warm is the classic mistake: the oils make the flour cake and clog the grinder.

Step 5: Grind the legumes in batches in a spice mill or high-speed blender to a fine flour, resting the motor between batches. Sift through a fine sieve and grind the coarse bits again.

Step 6: Stir 2 tbsp garlic granules, 1 tbsp ground ginger, 1 tbsp onion powder, 3 tbsp berbere, 1 tsp dried basil, ½ tsp ground cardamom and 2 tsp salt into the flour until the colour is even, then sift once more to blend.

Step 7: Store in an airtight jar in a cool, dark cupboard for up to 3 months. Use about 100 g for a pot of shiro wat for 4.