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Zigni
A 9:16 storyboard, 91 seconds of edit time. Scene lengths are cuts, not the minutes the pot actually needs. Music mood: Sparse acoustic, warm room tone, no lyrics.
Scene 1 · hook · 4s
Hook
Shot. Open tight on the finished Zigni, then pull back just enough to see the plate. Ivory linen, warm window light, no faces, no logos, no text burned into the picture.
Voiceover. Zigni. Zigni (ዝግኒ), a Asmara plate from Eritrea. Here is the whole thing, one move at a time.
On screen. Zigni
Scene 2 · title · 4s
Open on the finished dish
Shot. Slow push-in on the finished Zigni, ivory linen, a gold spoon just out of focus. No faces. No logos.
Voiceover. Zigni. Zigni (ዝግኒ), a Asmara plate from Eritrea.
On screen. Zigni
Scene 3 · ingredients · 6s
Mise en place
Shot. Overhead flat lay. Hands set down small bowls in a quiet rhythm. Labels stay out of frame.
Voiceover. Set out lamb leg, yellow onion, tomato paste, cayenne, sweet paprika. Measure before the pan is hot.
On screen. Mise en place
Scene 4 · equipment · 5s
Equipment
Shot. A slow pan across the tools on the counter, then back to the bowl. No brand logos.
Voiceover. You need Heavy pot, Scale, Wooden spoon, Ladle.
On screen. Heavy pot · Scale · Wooden spoon
Scene 5 · step · 7s
Step 1
Shot. Zigni: weighed ingredients beside the heating pan. Natural window light, ivory linen, handmade ceramic, no text, no logo. Show the action, then a jump cut through the wait. Do not film the full Heat 5 min in real time.
Voiceover. Set out a scale and the equipment for Zigni. Heat to a quiet simmer, about 195°F / 90°C and give it 5 minutes so the surface is actually hot. Weigh lamb leg, yellow onion, tomato paste, cayenne, sweet paprika, garlic, olive oil, low-sodium beef broth, kosher salt. Zigni is cooked in Asmara as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Cook a great quantity of onion down, then simmer the lamb in paprika and tomato until it yields. Berbere is the usual blend. Paprika and cayenne stand in. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
On screen. Set out a scale and the equipment… · Heat 5 min
Scene 6 · step · 6s
Step 2
Shot. Zigni: ingredients prepped and the pan at heat. Natural window light, ivory linen, handmade ceramic, no text, no logo.
Voiceover. Zigni is cooked in eritrea. Also called ዝግኒ. Leave the lid ajar so the surface reduces instead of boiling over.
On screen. Zigni is cooked in eritrea. Also called ዝግኒ.…
Scene 7 · step · 7s
Step 3
Shot. Zigni: aromatics and the main ingredient in the pan. Natural window light, ivory linen, handmade ceramic, no text, no logo. Show the action, then a jump cut through the wait. Do not film the full Build the base in real time.
Voiceover. Cook the aromatics first, then the main ingredient for Zigni, until the edges take a little color. Keep the heat at a murmur. A hard boil beats tender food into strings.
On screen. Cook the aromatics first, then the… · Build the base
Scene 8 · step · 7s
Step 4
Shot. Zigni: simmering or roasting until the cue. Natural window light, ivory linen, handmade ceramic, no text, no logo. Show the action, then a jump cut through the wait. Do not film the full Simmer 40 min in real time.
Voiceover. Add the remaining weighed foods and cook Zigni at a quiet simmer, about 195°F / 90°C. Start checking at 40 minutes. Zigni is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
On screen. Add the remaining weighed foods and… · Simmer 40 min
- 🇪🇷 EritreaEast Africaicon-eritrea-zigni-icon-eritrea-zigni-9
Step 5
step · eritrea
Scene 9 · step · 6s
Step 5
Shot. Zigni: checking the center for doneness. Natural window light, ivory linen, handmade ceramic, no text, no logo.
Voiceover. Check the center of Zigni, not the edge. If the cue is not true yet, give it a few more minutes and look again. Opening a lid or an oven door early drops the heat.
On screen. Check the center of Zigni, not the edge. If the…
- 🇪🇷 EritreaEast Africaicon-eritrea-zigni-icon-eritrea-zigni-10
Step 6
step · eritrea
Scene 10 · step · 7s
Step 6
Shot. Zigni: rested and ready to plate. Natural window light, ivory linen, handmade ceramic, no text, no logo. Show the action, then a jump cut through the wait. Do not film the full Rest 5 min in real time.
Voiceover. Rest Zigni for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt. Serve it in the way it is eaten in eritrea, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it. Film Zigni in this shot order and no other: fish just turning opaque and flaking; liquid going in and lifting the fond; the slice or ladle hitting a warm plate; a skewer pulled from the center. Slate words for the editor: basket, nutmeg, bronzed, sear, frost, ripple, ember, pebble, candle, oven.
On screen. Rest Zigni for 5 minutes, then… · Rest 5 min
Scene 11 · doneness · 6s
How you know it is done
Shot. Close on the center of the food. A skewer, tap, or spoon shows the cue. Hold long enough to see it.
Voiceover. Zigni is done when the thickest piece yields to a fork and the liquid is quiet, not at a hard boil.
On screen. Doneness
Scene 12 · mistakes · 7s
If it goes wrong
Shot. Split screen is unnecessary. Show the finished, correct texture, then a hand points at the cue.
Voiceover. Zigni looks done at the edge and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue, not the color. Check the thickest piece and give it a few more minutes. Zigni turned out salty, dry, or watery. Weigh the salt and the liquid next time. Keep the heat at the temperature in the method, and stop when the doneness cue appears.
On screen. Common fixes
Scene 13 · storage · 5s
Cooling and storage
Shot. The dish cools on a rack, then a container is closed. No refrigerator brand in frame.
Voiceover. Cool Zigni, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven. Reheat leftovers until steaming.
On screen. Storage
Scene 14 · nutrition · 5s
Nutrition lower third
Shot. Hold on a single serving. A quiet lower third fades in. No medical claims on screen.
Voiceover. One serving is about 291 calories, with 34.5 grams of protein. Pai marks it Moderate.
On screen. 291 kcal · 34.5 g protein · Moderate
Scene 15 · plate · 5s
Plate and close
Shot. Spoon or tongs place the last garnish. Pull back to the full plate. End on steam or a still surface.
Voiceover. Serve 4 plates. Eat while it is at its best.
On screen. Zigni
Scene 16 · cta · 4s
Close
Shot. Hold the finished plate. A quiet end card can fade in after the picture. Do not cover the food with a logo.
Voiceover. Cook Zigni from the Pai recipe. The amounts, the heat, and the moment to stop are written under each step.
On screen. Cook it from the recipe
Machine-readable script for a later video tool. Scene durations are edit lengths, not cooking times. Long simmers and bakes are jump cuts. Order: hook, title, mise, equipment, one scene per numbered step (shot, on-screen text, voiceover, duration), doneness, fixes, storage, nutrition, plate, and the closing CTA. Keep the shot list and on-screen facts tied to this recipe.