Misir Wot (Ethiopian spiced red lentil stew)

Recipe No.: W-76

InternationalEthiopian60 minServes 4

"Misir" is the Amharic word for lentils and "wot" is the rich stew built on onions and spices. In Ethiopia, Orthodox Christians fast from meat and dairy on many days of the year, so pulses became stars of the table, and misir wot is one of the best loved. The onions are cooked down slowly first, then berbere, the famous Ethiopian chilli and spice blend, goes in, giving a warm red stew that is eaten with pieces of injera, the spongy fermented flatbread, and shared from one big tray.

Origin of the dish: Ethiopia — A staple of the Ethiopian fasting table, served with injera

Photo: Addis-Abeba-Cuisine éthiopienne (13).jpg by Ji-Elle, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Ingredients for Misir Wot

• 1½ cups(300 g) split red lentils, rinsed
• 3large red onions, very finely chopped (about 450 g)
• ¼ cup(60 ml) vegetable oil for fasting days, or spiced clarified butter (niter kibbeh) on non-fasting days
• 4 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 1 tbspfreshly grated ginger
• 3 tbspberbere (Ethiopian spice blend), adjusted to the heat of your blend
• 1 tbsptomato paste
• 4 cups(about 1 litre) water
• 1½ tspsalt
• To serveinjera

Method

1. Put the chopped onions in a wide pot over medium heat with no oil and stir for 12–15 minutes until they soften and shrink, adding a splash of water if they start to stick.
2. Add the oil or niter kibbeh, the garlic and the ginger, and stir for 2 minutes.
3. Add the berbere and tomato paste and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, sprinkling in a little water, until it becomes a red paste and the oil shows at the edges.
4. Add the lentils and the water, bring to a boil, then lower the heat.
5. Cook for 25–30 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the lentils fall apart and the stew thickens.
6. Adjust the salt and serve hot with injera.

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