Calista and I have had a history with Ethiopian food.  A few years ago, an Ethiopian restaurant opened in Regina when we still lived there, and we discovered how fantastic it is.  Similar to Indian food, but less spicy, we tried everything on the menu at Selam in Regina and then hit up Ethiopian joints in London and wherever else we could get it.  We discovered that beef is amazing served spiced and raw, that you can do phenomenal things with lentils, and that Ethiopian cabbage and carrot stirfry makes a delicious hangover cure.

There is no Ethiopian food in Barrie.  Adam and I make the odd trip to Toronto to get our fix, but it's not terribly convenient, so I finally decided to make it at home.  What we do have in Barrie is Bulk Barn, and they carry Teff flour, which is the basis of Injera, a flatbread that forms the the plate, tablecloth, and utensils that you use to eat the rest of the meal.  I started three days ago, when I made a sourdough starter for Injera.  I had been warned by the Internet that Injera takes time to master and doesn't necessarily work terribly well in North America.  I threw caution to the wind and...well, you'll notice there is no Injera recipe posted here.  My Injera was edible but not shareable.  I'll keep trying and post when I get it.

The rest, however, came out really well.  I did Kik Alecha, which is a mild split pea paste, and Mesir Wot, which is a spicy red lentil paste, along with Cabbage, Carrots, and Potatoes.  I used way less butter than was called for in the recipes because I'm in recovery mode from Christmas, and though it was less creamy the result was still pretty good.  The great thing about it this way, too, is that it's crazy healthy - low in fat and high in protein and fibre.

If you'd like to try, you can get Berbere at any Ethiopian or African grocery.


All of the recipes below are for two to four people, but they would double easily.

Ethiopian Cabbage, Potato and Carrot Stir-Fry

(Adapted from http://www.howtocookgreatethiopian.com/ethiopian-cabbage-potato-and-carrot-stir-fry)
Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1-inch piece fresh, peeled ginger chopped, or 2 tsp jarred ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 head cabbage, chopped
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into cubes
• berbere to taste

Heat the butter in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and cook until the onion is softened.  Add the carrots and potatoes and cook and for another 5 minutes.  Add the cumin, turmeric, berbere, salt and cabbage and stir to coat the cabbage with the spices.  Add a small amount of water if needed, cover, and allow to sweat until the potatoes and carrots are softened.

Mesir Wot (spicy red lentils)

(Adapted from http://stephfood.com/tag/berbere/#MesirWat)


Ingredients

• 1 onion or 3 shallots, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely minced
• 2 tsp ginger, peeled and minced or grated
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 and a half teaspoons berbere
• 1 cups red lentils, rinsed
• 1/2 small can of tomato paste
• 3 water or broth
• salt to taste

Place the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor or blender and puree. Add a little water if necessary.  Melt the butter in a pan over medium flame.  Add the berbere and stir for about 30 seconds to cook the spices and colour the butter.  Let it get all frothy.  Ad the onion puree and saute for about 5 min until the onion is cooked.  Add the lentils and water or broth, bring to a boil, and cook, covered for about 40 min until the lentils are cooked and start to get mushy.  About halfway through, add the tomato paste.  This is best if made early in the day and then reheated just before you eat it.

Kik Alecha (mild yellow split peas) 

(Adapted from http://www.howtocookgreatethiopian.com/alitcha-aterkik-yellow-split-peas-2)

• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup dried yellow split peas
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/2 small onion or 3 shallots, chopped
•  4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch of fresh ginger peeled, finely chopped, or about 1 tbsp jarred
• 1 tsp or more ground turmeric
• salt

Place 3 cups water (or a stock if you wish) and the yellow split peas in a pot and bring to a boil on high heat.  Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until most of the water has absorbed, about 40 minutes.  Drain the split peas and mash a little in their pot.

Place the onion, garlic, and ginger in a food processor or blender and puree.  Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the turmeric.  When frothy, add the onion puree and cook for 5 min.  Add to the split peas
Saute your onion until clear, 5 minutes. Then add ginger, garlic, and turmeric and cook 1 minute.   Add to the cooked peas.  Add a little more water and simmer again until the peas are very soft.  Add salt to taste.  As with the Mesir Wot, this is best if you make it in the afternoon, then add water until it's soupy and re-boil it until it gets thick again.
 

Going clockwise starting from the bottom:  Cabbage, potatoes, and carrots, Mesir Wot, Kik Alecha.