Ethiopian Red Lentil Stew & Injera

Cooking with Jackie, , ,

I’m so excited to be sharing this recipe because I was inspired to try it by my farm colleague Hiwot! When Hiwot started at the farm this season, they told us how to properly pronounce their name, because if the second syllable sounded like “wat” that actually means stew – so we sounded kinda silly calling her that.

Then, she was on a mission to find berbere, an Ethiopian spice blend that can be made up of over 17 different ingredients. If you’re going to try this recipe, head to Bulk Barn – that’s where we found it. While you’re there, grab some teff flour to make the injera!

I used this recipe as a base to work from, with some changes based on what I had available. In my research I learned that typically collard greens or mustard greens might be added to an Ethiopian dish, but that folks also often use a green called Texsel – sometimes referred to as garlic kale or Ethiopian kale. So, pulling from this week’s CSA box, I added garlicky baby kale to the mix. I didn’t have the spiced, clarified butter called niter kibbeh that the recipe calls for – so I used ghee and popped some extra berbere in. With my substitutions it may not be the most traditional iteration, but the warm salty spice mix plus thin chewy flatbread really made this dish shine for me. I hope you’ll enjoy!

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Ethiopian Red Lentil Stew & Injera

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Stew

  • 1 cup dry red lentils
  • 3/4 cup onions
  • 4-5 cloves garlic divided
  • 2 tbsp ghee, clarified butter, or other oil
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp berbere spice
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • salt to taste
  • oil your preference
  • 2-3 cups baby kale
  • 2-3 cups vegetable broth

Injera

  • 1/4 cup teff flour
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 pinch salt
  • oil for frying

Instructions

  1. Mince onions and garlic (divide garlic into two portions). Rinse and drain your lentils.

  2. In a saucepan melt your clarified butter or heat your oil. Add in the onions and half the garlic, cook on low heat stirring continuously for 10-15 minutes until translucent, fragrant, and the texture of a puree.

  3. Add the berbere, ginger, turmeric, paprika, and pepper and continue stirring for one minute.

  4. Add the tomato paste, lentils, salt and broth (start with 2 and 1/2 cups, then add more if desired as it cooks down). Stir to mix, cover the pot and bring to a boil.

  5. Once the stew reaches a boil, turn the heat down and allow to simmer. Keep an eye on it – cook time depends on your lentils and desired consistency. For me, lentils were soft and stew had reduced to my desired thickness in about 20 minutes. You can add more broth if it gets too thick.

  6. Meanwhile, in a large pan heat a drizzle of oil. Add in the remaining portion of garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add in your baby kale and reduce heat to sauté for 4-6 minutes. Remove from heat.

  7. If you're good at multi-tasking, you can prep your injera now too. With a whisk or fork, combine the teff and all-purpose flour, then add water slowly, stirring out lumps that form. Mix in salt. Heat oil in a medium-sized nonstick pan on medium-low heat, and pour mixture into pan until it's thicker than a crepe, but thinner than a pancake (this is what the note from Bulk Barn told me). Cook about 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook the other side for the same amount of time. I had to work on adjusting the heat and timing to get it cooked through but not burned, so don't fret if you don't get it first try. This recipe gave me 3 pieces.

  8. When your stew has cooked down, stir in your garlic kale. Serve with your injera and enjoy!