Mesir Wat (Ethiopian Red Lentil Stew)

I get a hankering from time to time for Ethiopian food and I love making it at home. I still haven't successfully made injera (the spongy bread), so I order that online. I usually make my same old favorites, but every once in a while I like to try a new recipe. This one for red lentil stew couldn't be much simpler and it's good. A solid recipe for you lentil lovers (I know you're out there).

MESIR WAT

(Ethiopian Red Lentil Stew)

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

2 onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons minced, peeled ginger

1/4 cup niter kibbeh, oil or butter

2 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 to 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 lb. red lentils (also known as masoor dal), rinsed

4 cups water or stock

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.      Place the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor or blender and puree. Add a little water if necessary.

2.      Heat the oil, butter or niter kibbeh in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium flame. Add turmeric, paprika and cayenne pepper and stir rapidly to color the oil and cook spices through, about 30 seconds.

3.      Add the onion puree and sauté until the excess moisture evaporates and the onion loses its raw aroma, about 5-10 minutes. Do not burn.

4.      Add lentils and water to the saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until lentils are cooked through and fall apart, about 30 to 40 minutes. Add water if necessary to keep the lentils from drying out.

5.      Stir in salt and pepper to taste and serve.

from whats4eats.com

onion, garlic & ginger

adding spices to niter kibbeh

mixing in the pureed onion/garlic/ginger

mixed

adding lentils and stock

mixed

mesir wat

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Chickpea Wat

I cooked up a big Ethiopian feast this weekend. I made some old standbys and a few new dishes too. This chickpea stew was a new one. I really enjoyed the different textures and heartiness, plus it happens to be very healthy (happy accident). While it's not my favorite Ethiopian dish (that would be kik alicha or yegomen kitfo), one of my guests did say it was his favorite. So if you like chickpeas and stews...this one is a keeper.

CHICKPEA WAT

Makes 6 servings

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large red onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 potato, peeled and chopped

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste 

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 ½ cups water

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1.      Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and potato, cover and cook 10 minutes longer.

2.      Remove and cover and stir in cayenne, paprika, ginger, salt, pepper, cumin, cardamom and tomato paste. Add chickpeas and water and bring to a boil.

3.      Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender and the flavor is developed, about 30 minutes, adding a bit more water if needed. About 10 minutes before the stew is ready, stir in green peas and taste to adjust seasonings.

barely adapted from food.com (submitted by breezee1984)

red onion

potato and carrots added

adding spices and tomato paste

adding chickpeas

chickpeas and water mixed in

peas added

scooping up chickpea wat with injera
(Ethiopian spongy bread)

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Yegomen Kitfo (Collards with Spiced Cottage Cheese)

Okay, this is the last Ethiopian recipe for a while. I was just on a roll and had to include this one because it's become one of my favorites.

I don't know who first thought to make spiced cottage cheese (and then pair it with collard greens), but I'm giving him/her a standing ovation right now. Bravo.

YEGOMEN KITFO

(COLLARDS WITH SPICED COTTAGE CHEESE)

Yield:  8 servings

Cottage Cheese:

16 oz. cottage cheese

1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) niter kibbeh, melted

2 cloves garlic, slightly crushed

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Greens:

2 lb. collard greens (washed, thick stems removed & chopped)

2 tablespoons finely chopped hot red chiles (or to taste)

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ cup (4 tablespoons) niter kebbeh

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1.      Combine all the cottage cheese ingredients and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.  Remove garlic cloves and set aside.

2.      Steam collards in 1/4 cup water for about 40 minutes or until very tender.

3.      Add the chiles, ginger, garlic, cardamom, niter kibbeh and onions and mix well.  Spoon the greens over the cottage cheese.

barley adapted from ethiopianrecipes.net

adding spices and garlic to cottage cheese

measuring the nitter kibbeh (if the power goes out,
you can still cook by its soft florescent glow)

everything mixed

I forgot to remove the raw garlic and ended up eating
a big clove of it by accident...I have to say, I didn't mind
(of course the people around me might have later).

raw collards

cooked collards

There weren't any hot red chiles at the market, so I used jalapenos.

adding spices etc. to collards

all mixed

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Shiro Wat

Here's another Ethiopian recipe for those of you who just couldn't get enough last week. I know this resembles baby food (mashed squash perhaps), but it's actually made from dried, ground chickpeas. I think the orange color comes more from the berbere (an Ethiopian spice mixture) that's added. It may look like it belongs in a Gerber jar, but whatever you do, don't feed it to your baby!

shiro wat served with injera

SHIRO WAT

Serves 6-8 people

1 cup finely diced red or yellow onions (or pureed in food processor)
1/2 cup canola oil or vegetable oil

3 cups water

1 to 1 1/2 cups shiro powder

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

salt to taste

berbere*

*If your shiro powder is mitin shiro (shiro powder with berbere already added), no additional berbere will be needed. If your shiro powder is the pale variety (with no spice added), you will need to add berbere to taste. Keep in mind that Ethiopian people traditionally eat their shiro very spicy.

1.      Fry onions with oil in a saucepan over medium heat until slightly brown.

2.      Add the water carefully and bring to a boil.

3.      Sprinkle in shiro a little at a time, stirring with a wire whisk to prevent lumps.

4.      Add garlic, salt and berbere (if using) and cook until sauce is smooth and thick.  If sauce gets too thick to stir, you may need to add a dab more water.  If it is too thin, try adding a few tablespoons more of shiro powder. 

5.      Remove from heat. Serve hot or cold with injera. Shiro reheats nicely, but you may need to add more water to thin it out (it thickens as it sits).

from http://ethiopia.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/shiro-wat

onions frying

fried onions with water added

shiro powder--mine is deep orange
(a sign that the berbere is already added)

shiro & berbere are both available at: ethiopianspices.com

garlic cloves

berbere (I didn't add any to my dish,
since my shiro already has it added)

adding the shiro powder

if you prefer yours thinner, just add more water

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