Recipes from Ethiopia

The food of Ethiopia is quite distinct from other forms of African cooking, although it makes use of many of the same ingredients. An important feature of Ethiopian cooking is the spice mix known as Berbere. There are several recipes available to adapt berbere to North American cooking, and one is given below. 

Flat Bread (Ethiopia) serves 6 to 8
Injera - In Ethiopia, these are usually made of the grain teff, a relative of the millet family and one of the earliest cultivated grains in the world. This is an adaptation for North American kitchens.
4 cups self-rising flour  1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup whole wheat flour 2 cups club soda
  • Combine flours and baking powder in a bowl. Add club soda, plus about 4 cups of water. Mix into a smooth, fairly thin batter
  • Heat a large non-stick skillet. When a drop of water bounces off the pan’s surface, dip enough batter from the bowl to cover the bottom of the hot skillet, and pour it quickly, all at once. Swirl the pan so the entire bottom is evenly coated, then set it back on the heat.
  • When the moisture has evaporated and small holes appear on the surface, remove the injera. It should be cooked on one side only, and not browned. If your first try is too pasty and undercooked, cook it a little longer or make it a little thinner. Be careful not to cook them too long or you will end up with crisp breads.
  • Stack the injera one on top of the other as you cook, covering with a clean tea cloth to prevent their drying out. To serve, lay them on a platter in overlapping concentric circles, beginning with the inside and moving outwards until edges of the outer ring fall over the edge.

 

 

Berbere (Ethiopia) makes about 1 ½ cups
1 teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground coriander ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons salt 1¼ cup cayenne pepper
½ cup paprika, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • In a heavy saucepan or cast iron skillet, toast the following over low heat for 4 to 5 minutes: ginger, cardamom, coriander, fenugreek, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and allspice. Shake or stir to keep from burning.
  • Add the salt, cayenne pepper, paprika and black pepper and continue toasting, stirring constantly, 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Cool and store in tightly covered glass jars. It will keep well in the refrigerator for about 6 months.

Recipes from The Africa News Cookbook: African Cooking for Western Kitchens, by Africa News Service, 1985, p. 131 and p. 3

 

Chicken Wat (Ethiopia) serves 4
Doro Wat (doh-roh wahtt) A wat is an Ethiopian stew that is traditionally served with injera, but you can serve it with rice and plenty to drink!
Remove skin from 2 ½ to 3 pounds of chicken pieces
Sprinkle with:  2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt
Let stand while preparing other ingredients. In large saucepan, melt: 
2 tablespoons margarine
Add, cover and cook over low heat until onions are soft but not browned
2 cups onions, finely chopped, 1 tablespoon garlic, minced, ½ teaspoon ground ginger
Add:  ¼ teaspoon crushed fenugreek, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom and c teaspoon ground nutmeg 
Stir well and add: 1/8c to ¼ cup Berbere and 1 to 2 tablespoons paprika
Stir over low heat 2 to 3 minutes.

Pour in ½ cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring continuously. Add chicken to sauce, turning until pieces are coated. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until chicken is tender, about 45 minutes, turning once or twice. If the pan becomes too dry, add a little water. The sauce should be the consistency of heavy cream.

Prepare 1 hard-cooked egg for each person. Cut shallow slits in each egg to allow the color and flavor of sauce to permeate. Add eggs to sauce and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Stew can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, adding the eggs when reheating.

Recipe from Extending the Table: a world community cookbook, by Joetta Handrich Schlabach, Herald Press, 1991, p. 221