This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Ye’difin Misser Alicha – Lentils in Garlic-Ginger Sauce. Easy Ethiopian Lentils. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe
Teff Love: Adventures in Vegan Ethiopian Cooking
And this book demystifies all that. From the basics about the spices, making your own berbere and seasoned oil to many authentic and fusion dishes. The seasoned oil is highly addictive. It’s amazing how a few spices that I use quite often, in a combination that I have not used before (nigella and carom seeds!), in a method I have not used often (slow simmered instead of the usual high heat tempering in Indian food), lead to a deep complex flavor.
I made the berbere paste and seasoned oil and the planned out the menu for the next day! Mushrooms in rosemary onion wine sauce, Red lentils in spicy sauce, Ethiopian roasted Brussels sprouts and Brown lentils in flavorful garlic-ginger sauce and freshly made Injera!
That was one feast! I have many recipes that I have book marked to try like the Awaze tofu, azifa salad, butecha, tofu dumplings. many more lentil and split pea dishes and the teff brownies!
Ethnic food makes eating lentil and vegetable heavy vegan food easier. Or so I think because you know I love Indian food for the same reason. It is flavorful. It is easy or gets easy with just a little initial pantry and time investment. It is generally flexible to play around with once you get a hang of it. The spices are generally shared over other cuisines like Indian and Mediterranean. I did not have to go to any special store for the book. I already have an extensive Indian pantry :). I also had teff from my gf baking experiments.
Get your copy of Teff Love
I have been putting the seasoned oil in our Tofu scrambles and simple weekday dals! It is just so fabulous. Chapters include tips, equipment, Grocery list (which is great to quickly stock your pantry), Foundations, Breakfast, Appetizers, Spicy sauces, mild sauces, legume based smooth sauces, cooked and cold vegetables, injera based dishes, Stir fries, Dumplings and veggie protein, Beverages and Sweets.
If you are sensitive to spices or food that has many spices and oil, use the seasoned oil within a week.
If you haven’t tried Ethiopian before, serve it differently. Serve the drier lentils with roasted veggies and cooked grains, serve the saucy lentils as a soup with crackers or croutons.
Kittee with some fabulous food!
I also made the Injera from scratch from the book. The whole ersho sourdough and the days and days of fermentation. Towards the end, I added a bit of regular white flour instead of all teff for the last day of fermentation and got the beautifully porous Injera. Soft, delicious and perfect.
Thankfully I can get as much Injera as I want. I’ve got a couple of Ethiopian restaurants within a 10 block radius!
Injera! See them exclamations, Clearly very excited. I used my Dosa crepe pan to make them and it worked out perfectly.
Perfect carrier for all that Ethiopian food. It takes some patience to make Ethiopian, but it is all worth the effort. I share the recipe of lentils with flavorful garlic ginger sauce Ye’difin Misser Alicha today!
Ye’difin Misser Alicha
from the book Teff Love: Adventures in Vegan Ethiopian Cooking by Kittee Berns (printed with permission from the Book Publishing Co.)
Ye'difin Misser Alicha - Lentils in Garlic-Ginger Sauce Recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried green or brown lentils
- 6 cups water
- ¼ onion, minced (½ cup)
- 3 tablespoons Ye’qimem Zeyet, page 25 or extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more if desired
- 6 cloves garlic, pressed or grated (1 tablespoon)
- 2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
- 6 fresh basil leaves, optional
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1½ cups reserved lentil cooking water or Sleepy Vegetable Stock, page 38, plus more if desired
- 1 to 2 jalapeno chiles, seeded, veined, and sliced into thin half-moons
Instructions
- Put the lentils and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir to keep the lentils from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Decrease the heat to medium-high and simmer, skimming off and discarding any foam that forms with a large spoon. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender but still firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the lentils and reserve 2 cups of the cooking water.
- While the lentils cook, put the onion, Ye’qimem Zeyet, and salt in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent (don’t let the onion brown), about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, optional basil, and turmeric and cook, stirring almost constantly, for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the drained lentils and 1 ½ cups of the reserved cooking water. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to medium and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, until the lentils are very soft but not mushy and the liquid has reduced and thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the jalapeno chiles during the last 5 minutes of cooking. If the mixture is too thick, add up to ½ cup additional lentil cooking water as needed to thin. Season to taste with additional salt if desired. Discard the basil before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The Publishers are giving away a copy of Teff Love to one of the blog readers! (within US). Ends 21st March.
To Enter, please leave me a comment about what do you find most intimidating about ethnic cuisines like Ethiopian.
The giveaway is over. Denise, you get a copy of Teff Love!
I think what’s most intimidating is living up to the real expectations 🙂 otherwise I love trying new foods!
Oh, I have been admiring this cookbook on Amazon pre-order for so long! I’m happy it’s finally here!
I guess the thing I find most intimidating about ‘ethnic’ foods is bread presentation (this is probably because I can’t make round roti or parathas to save my life, much to the chagrin of my mother-in-law). The only pretty bread I’ve ever made was focaccia… Injera has also intimidated me too, thank goodness Cap Hill has enough Ethiopian places to satisfy my cravings when necessary. I’d love to try it out myself though!
Making injera is the most intimidating part of Ethiopian cooking for me. I really want to try, but just keep putting it off.
This book is high on my list! What I find most intimidating about ethnic foods is that recipes I find often call for spices or vegetables that I don’t regularly stock in my pantry.
I just bought a big bag of brussel sprouts! Will have to try this!
I find curries immitindating. I struggle with getting the right flavor and consistency while not over cooking the veggies. Id love to be able to replicate our local takeaway Indian spot and be able to make the same at home!
I find getting the right combo of spices right is most intimidating. Thankfully there is a great Ethiopian restaurant close to me. 🙂
Oh my!! Love ! Will be making this today 🙂 I don’t find anything intimidating about ethnic cuisine. I love to try all kinds of food. Maybe the only intimidating thing would be if it’s too spicy hot.
Many times the most intimidating thing for me is finding ingredients. I was so happy to find several ethnic groceries in a nearby city where I can buy spices and some more exotic ingredients.
I agree! Once I have all the ingredients, I will have no problem following a recipe. But I live in an area where I don’t even know where to get teff. I moved to NC 2 years ago and I still can’t find fresh water chestnut for certain Chinese dishes (or for a nice snack in the summer time). Sometimes I feel really sorry for the majority of Americans who eat burgers and pizzas all the time.
you can get teff on amizon any spice almost anything on amizon
I guess I worry that I wont have the correct spices on hand, or be able to get them easily. Otherwise, I am going to guess that technique wouldn’t be that difficult right? Boiling, simmering, braising, stewing. How bad could it be?
This look delicious! Wow!! Hmm…most intimidating? Im always up for any challenge but I think what I find to be most intimidating is getting down the technique and the correct flavors for that region. Food is made with love and passed down for generations..so trying to replicate that is quite an undertaking! But a fun trial and error process no doubt!=)