Hamli
Also: Hamli, Eritrean Spinach, Collard Greens (Eritrean)
An Eritrean (and Ethiopian) braise of leafy greens — collards or spinach — wilted down with onion and garlic in oil until soft and savoury.
Identity criteria
- 1Built on leafy greens — collard greens or spinach — as the sole star
- 2Slow-wilted with onion and garlic until tender, not crisp or raw
- 3Cooked in oil (no dairy in the classic Lenten form), keeping it fully plant-based
- 4Served as part of an injera platter, scooped rather than forked
- 5An everyday staple, especially valued during Orthodox fasting periods
Components
Collard greens or spinachessentialThe dish is the greens; the variety names the version
Oil (or niter kibbeh in non-fasting versions)essentialCarries the aromatics; vegetable oil keeps it vegan
Berbere or green chillioptionalAdds optional heat; some versions stay mild
Technique
- Sweating aromatics
- Onion and garlic build the savoury base before the greens go in
- Slow wilting
- The greens must cook down to a soft, melting texture — the defining mouthfeel
Form & serving
- Served
- Mounded on a shared injera platter alongside other wots and salads
- Temperature
- warm
- Portion
- A scoopable side mound; a larger serving makes it a fasting main
- Pairs with
- Injera · Shiro · Tomato salad · Other fasting (tsom) dishes
Character
Flavour
Texture
Soft, tender wilted greens, slightly silky from the cooking oil
Eaten
An everyday Eritrean and Ethiopian side eaten communally from injera; a cornerstone of the meatless platter served during the many Orthodox fasting periods.
When
year-round
Variations & related
Regional variations
- Hamli collard · Eritrea / Ethiopia
Made with sturdy collard greens, cooked longer
- Hamli spinach · Eritrea / Ethiopia
Quicker-cooking, softer version with spinach
- Non-fasting hamli · Eritrea
Enriched with niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter) outside fasting days
Related dishes
- sibling Gomen
The Ethiopian name and version of essentially the same braised-greens dish
- pairs-with Shiro
Greens and chickpea stew are a standard fasting-platter pairing
Substitutions
Collard greens → Spinach or kaleadmissible
All make recognized versions of the dish
Oil → Niter kibbehadmissible
Authentic non-fasting choice but adds dairy, breaking the vegan/fasting identity
Leafy greens → Cabbageinadmissible
Cabbage makes tikil gomen / atakilt, a different dish — not hamli
Common mistakes
- Serving the greens crisp or barely wilted instead of soft and melting
- Adding butter/niter kibbeh when a fasting (vegan) version is intended
- Drowning it in berbere — many household versions are gently spiced or mild
- Confusing it with cabbage-based tikil gomen
Provenance
A staple green braise of the Eritrean and Ethiopian highlands, central to the Orthodox Christian fasting (tsom) table where animal products are avoided.
Claimed by: Eritrea
References
- 1.Eritrean and Ethiopian home cooking
- 2.Orthodox fasting culinary tradition
Confidence: high