Sunday, January 6, 2013

Lentil Wat (Ethiopian lentil stew)

I really wasn't sure what to expect with this dish either.  When we went to the two Ethiopian restaurants we've gone to so far, they both had some vegetarian lentils and yellow split pea stews that I wasn't a huge fan of.  They weren't disgusting or anything, I just didn't want to waste my belly-space on them when I could have such amazing chicken and beef stews!  :)
But this turned out really good!  I'm not ready to make a meal out of it, but I enjoyed it a LOT as a side!



Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp Berbere
1 cup red lentils
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Mekelesha powder (I didn't have this so I looked up what was in Mekelesha and ended up
        sprinkling in a little cinnamon, cardemom, pepper, cloves, and nutmeg.  Not sure how accurate
        that is, but again, it was really good!)
water

Directions:
1.  In medium size sauce pan over medium-high heat, cook onion in oil until onions are soft.
2.  Add Berbere spice and 1/4 - 1/2 cup water.  Bring to a boil, adding water about 1/4 cup at a time to keep the mixture soupy.
3.  Once up to a boil, add 2 cups water and red lentils.  Bring to a boil with the lid on, stirring occasionally.
4.  Add about 1 cup water when the lentils start cooking and getting puffy, if needed.
5.  Add salt, garlic, and spices.  Turn heat to very low and simmer until lentils are soft (about 15 minutes maybe), adding small amounts of water as needed to keep them from drying out.  Remove from heat when lentils are cooked and dissolving.

Serve with Injera!

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