I haven't been eating many legumes lately. Perhaps I needed a break after a long winter of stews and soups? But, a recent meal at an Ethiopian restaurant made me realize that I'd actually missed lentils and split peas -- and left me craving more Ethiopian food. So, I sorted through different recipes on the internet, tracked down some spicy berbere seasoning, and made my very first attempt at mesir wat (spicy lentil stew, seasoned with berbere) and kik alicha (a mild but tasty yellow split pea stew, which provides a nice counterbalance to the wat). As you can see from the photo, I cheated a bit and made naan to eat with my stew, rather than injera.
The result? I can't vouch for authenticity, but they are both delicious. I think I would even be happy to eat them during a mid-winter slump.
Spicy lentil stew recipe here, yellow split pea stew recipe here. I found bebere seasoning ($7.99 for a 1-pound bag) at the World Food Bazaar, 242 N. Havana in Aurora.
7 comments:
I adore lentils and split peas...and was actually planning on making naan to go along with lentil dish tonight! Great minds think alike...I love your blog, and I'm excited to try your recipes. Thanks for visiting mine.
I've never tried Ethiopian food, so I have no idea if it is authentic, but it looks delicious!
this looks so good. Is that naan? Do you make it yourself?
@ Monet -- thank you!
@ Foodycat -- it was delicious, although not very photogenic.
@ Jenna -- That is naan -- it's actually really easy to make, it just takes a little time to let the dough rise. There's a link to a prior post about naan in this post ("I cheated a bit and made naan" -- click on "naan").
Looks wonderful. I had a look at the recipe for Ethiopian Spice Mix and the blend looks amazing... so complex and some of my favorite spices (fenugreek, coriander, cardamom). I'd also be interested in the naan recipe. Do you have one you like?
The address for the naan recipe I use is below. Sometimes I follow the directions exactly; this last time, I substituted whole grain spelt flour for 1 cup of the flour called for in the recipe. I've found that, if you use a seasoned cast iron pan, the naan doesn't needed to be cooked in oil (although you can certainly add butter afterwards if you want).
http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2008/05/naan-recipe-if-you-can-make-pancakes.html
I just LOVE Ethiopian food!!! Thanks for the recipes!
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