I have had it in mind for a while to cook a full Ethiopian menu. This was one of the dishes I chose. The flavors are perfect. Just like my favorite Ethiopian restaurant.
Ethiopian Lentil Stew
Photo: André Baranowski
(Misr Wot)
SERVES 4 – 6
The small lentils (variously called red lentils, pink lentils, Egyptian lentils, and, in South Asia, masoor dal) used for this dish turn yellow when cooked. The recipe for this version comes from an Ethiopean cook, Alemtshaye Yigezu, who cooked this dish for us while visiting her home.
1 cup red lentils
4 tbsp. nit'r qibe (Ethiopian Spiced Butter)
or unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp. berbere (Ethiopian Spice Mix)
1 small tomato, cored and chopped
Kosher salt, to taste
1. Rinse the lentils in a sieve under cold running water and set aside.
2. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the reserved lentils, 1 tbsp. of the berbere, tomato, and 4 cups water to the saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and the lentils are tender, 45–50 minutes. Stir in the remaining berbere and season generously with salt. Serve immediately.
Ratings & Reviews (6)
Tasty and very reminiscent of my favorite ethiopian restaurant.
Great, but I would use a little less liquid next time.
Excellent. Even better a day or two later.
This was amazing! I made this for a dinner party along with other Ethiopian dishes & people were running their fingers across the plates trying to get every last bit of sauce. I wouldn't change a thing!
Very, very good. I serve this alongside a cabbage dish from Soul of a New Cuisine and some chapati and/or cous-cous. This recipe comes close to my local Ethiopian restaurant's lentils, and it's very simple to prepare if you keep the spiced clarified butter and berbere on hand. If you don't, it's well worth preparing anyway, and then you'll have the wherewithal to make Ethiopian food again! I've swapped in various dals for this depending on what I have on hand, but the red split lentils are my favorite for flavor and color.
Ethiopian Lentil Stew
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