Recipe Miser Wat - Ethiopian lentil stew

[Duck59]

While Ethiopian and Eritrean food can be heavy on the meat, there are "fasting foods" that are entirely vegetarian. There's quite a lot of them, too. One I like is this spicy lentil stew.

4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion
2 tomatoes
1 tsp. garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. berbere
2 cups split red lentils
6 cups water or vegetable broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
(Optional - salt)

Saute the onions in the olive oil, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for another minute. Add the berbere and saute for a few minutes more, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. The onions should start to caramelize.

Mix in the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste and simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Add the lentils, tomato paste and the vegetable broth (or water) and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook uncovered for an hour.

This would usually be served with the ubiquitous local bread, injera, but crusty rolls are a good alternative. Berbere is available in African food shops, but there's no harm in using chilli powder if you can't get hold of any.

 

[winterybella]

Berbere, red lentil and injera will all now take a place in my Cooking Bites vocab notebook. I had to look up all of these foreign words. In the cooking business you can find alternatives and I for one am no stranger to this. Interesting recipe here.

 

[Duck59]

You see injera everywhere in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It's a flat bread, commonly used as a base for other food. THe traditional method of eating is communal and everyone digs in around a bit plate of injera, using it to collect whatever is on top.

 

[winterybella]

I saw miser and wondered what is this that people are mean with or hold tightly to..

 

[Morning Glory]

It sounds good. I make something similar and I think its a dish where the spices can vary. My only question. Why the hour cooking time? Red lentils cook quite quickly.

 

[Duck59]

It sounds good. I make something similar and I think its a dish where the spices can vary. My only question. Why the hour cooking time? Red lentils cook quite quickly.

Probably because I got the recipe from an Ethiopian. Without wishing to make it look as though I'm indulging in national stereotyping, Ethiopians and Eritreans always cook things slowly. I've been to enough coffee ceremonies to know just how long it can take to get a small cup of coffee!

 

[Morning Glory]

Probably because I got the recipe from an Ethiopian. Without wishing to make it look as though I'm indulging in national stereotyping, Ethiopians and Eritreans always cook things slowly. I've been to enough coffee ceremonies to know just how long it can take to get a small cup of coffee!

Might also be a different type of lentil than we get here.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I've been to enough coffee ceremonies to know just how long it can take to get a small cup of coffee!

I don't recall it being any quicker in Italy either! (not that I have been to Ethiopia but it took an absolute age, best part of an hour, to get a tiny cup of coffee which was almost undrinkable, out off my friends in Italy when they wanted me to try ' authentic ' coffee. ).

I feel a new thread could be stated on that one!

 

[Duck59]

I don't recall it being any quicker in Italy either! (not that I have been to Ethiopia but it took an absolute age, best part of an hour, to get a tiny cup of coffee which was almost undrinkable, out off my friends in Italy when they wanted me to try ' authentic ' coffee. ).

I feel a new thread could be stated on that one!

Interestingly, that part of Africa has a strong Italian influence from the days of the Italian colonisation of Abyssinia. My knowledge of the Italian language comes much more from the time that I spent in Eritrea than any time I have spent in Italy. Most of the names for vegetables and fruit are Italian and some of the older people could speak Italian. Macchiato is very much the coffee to drink, certainly in the Tigrigna-speaking areas of Eritrea and northern Ethiopia, though it's a milkier drink than what you would get in Italy.

 

[Bakemehappy]

I googled what berbere is. There were a lot of spices combined to make it. There are a few foreign ingredients to me I am assuming this is another version of the Japanese shichimi togarashi. Is this berbere readily available on the supermarket shelves? I find it interesting just like the post about a serbian dip I just commented on

 

[Duck59]

I've seen berbere in African delicatessens, but it's not something I would expect to see in a mainstream supermarket. You can buy it online, as well.

http://www.justingredients.co.uk/berbere-spice-2776.html?gclid=CKXv272f0ckCFRQTGwodWmAN6w

 

[Duck59]

Having posted this recipe, I had a sudden fancy for it - just right for a cold December day. Not having any berbere, I concocted a medley of spices - plenty of chilli powder - and mixed them together. I also used a couple of fresh chillis just to make sure it had the requisite spiciness. Result: warmth.

 

[Morning Glory]

Having posted this recipe, I had a sudden fancy for it - just right for a cold December day. Not having any berbere, I concocted a medley of spices - plenty of chilli powder - and mixed them together. I also used a couple of fresh chillis just to make sure it had the requisite spiciness. Result: warmth.

View attachment 2084

Did you use split red lentils? It looks like you used split yellow peas..

 

[Duck59]

Did you use split red lentils? It looks like you used split yellow peas..

Definitely red lentils - I haven't even got any yellow peas.

 

[Morning Glory]

Definitely red lentils - I haven't even got any yellow peas.

Thats really odd. What are the round yellowy things at the front of the bowl? Not that I'm in any sense disbelieving you!