This week we made some Ethiopian food for my family to try! We are by no means experts but we gave it our best effort and it turned out really well. We made a stew, vegetables, and lentils and served it with pita bread. Traditional Ethiopian food is served with Injera and you can find more information about how to make it here. These recipes use an Ethiopian spice mix called berbere. If you can find it at an African or Ethiopian restaurant, definitely do that! But if you need to make it, the recipe is below.
Ethiopian Stew (Serves 8-10)
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs stew beef
- 2 cans tomato paste
- 1 large can of diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp crushed garlic
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1 tbsp berbere spice mix (link to recipe here)
Process
In a large crock pot, combine meat, diced tomatoes and paste, and garlic. To blend the spice, first add the spice to the melted butter and mix until smooth. Add to the crockpot and mix all ingredients together. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.
Fosolia
Ingredients
- 2 cups carrots
- 2 cups green beans (I used snap peas in the photo because we didn’t have beans!)
- 1 cup peas
- 1 cup diced potatoes
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp crushed garlic
- 1/2 cup of sliced basil
- 1 tbsp of diced, fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp oil
Process
Steam all your veggies until they are soft. You can do this in a frying pan with a bit of water in the bottom or in the microwave if you are short on time. Once the veggies are done, start with the oil, garlic, and ginger in the pan. Brown the garlic slightly then add the veggies, with the turmeric, to the pan and cook on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. In the last few minutes, add the basil.
Coconut Lentils
Ingredients
- 2 large cans of red lentils
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1 tbsp berbere spice mix
- 1/2 cup diced onions
- 1 tsp olive oil
Process
Begin by frying the onions in the base of a pot with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Once the onions have softened, add the lentils, coconut milk, and spice. Bring to a boil for 10 mins then let the mixture simmer for 10-15 mins on low.
Happy eating!
Kathleen Read 