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Indian red lentil dal has been a go to recipe for us for many years. These dishes are super quick and require few ingredients, but are delicious and nutritious. All that said, we happened to be in a middle eastern store a few weeks ago and Kyla spied a package of Injera bread. Of course what she really noticed is that this teff based flat bread is gluten free… so she bought a bag. This led me to remember once sharing a meal with an Ethiopian acquaintance that involved eating a lentil curry using pieces of Injera rather than a spoon or fork. So the stars aligned and we searched out an Ethiopian style red lentil wat or curry that’s just as easy as the Indian versions but quite different in it’s flavour profile. Using Berbere spice instead of the classic Indian spices gives a whole new life to one of the world’s staple dishes… and eating it with the Injera bread makes it seem exotic too.

Ethiopian Style Red Lentil Wat
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Ethiopian Style Red Lentil Wat

Course: DinnerCuisine: Vegan, Gluten FreeDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

35

minutes
Total time

50

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 large red onion

  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced

  • 1 tsp of chili powder

  • 1 Tbsp of tomato paste

  • 1/2 of a 796 ml or 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

  • 2 Tbsp of Berbere spice powder

  • 1/4 tsp of cardamom

  • 1 cup of red lentils

  • 1 cup of coconut milk (optional)

  • 1 1/2 cup of vegetable broth

  • Salt and pepper

Directions

  • Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.
  • To the pan add 2 Tbsp of water and the onion and cook until the onion softens.
  • Add the garlic and chili powder and continue frying for another minute or two.
  • Stir in the tomato paste, diced tomatoes Berbere spice and cardamom and continue cooking for two minutes.
  • Add the lentils, coconut and broth to the pan. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat and let simmer until the lentils become soft. You can add a little more water if needed but you want this to be a fairly dry curry.
  • Season with salt and pepper and serve hot with an Injera flat bread.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool for an hour.

Notes

  • If you like a more hot dish feel free to add more chili powder.
  • Although Ethiopian wat doesn’t usually have coconut, I just love that added level of flavour.
  • You can typically get both Berbere spice and Injera at Middle Eastern and North African specialty shops.
Ethiopian Style Red Lentil Wat
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