Ethiopian food is known for its savory, spicy meat and vegetable dishes. One spoonful of a flavor-packed, berbere-spiced stew will have you hooked! If you go to an Ethiopian restaurant you should find something on the menu that looks something like this dish, but it would be called misir wat, and it would be incredibly delicious.
This article explores various Ethiopian stew recipes, including lentil, beef, and chicken options. It provides insights into the key ingredients, preparation methods, and cultural significance of these flavorful dishes.
Key Ingredients in Ethiopian Stews
The key to making these meals so tasty and easy is Ethiopian berbere spice, which I definitely recommend having on hand, as it turns everything in it's path to delicious. Several months ago we had the opportunity to enjoy an Ethiopian meal prepared by a family who emigrated from there.
Berbere Spice
Berbere is a spice blend common in Ethiopian cuisine. It’s composed of chiles, garlic, fenugreek, and a handful of other warm spices, such as allspice and cinnamon. The flavor is hot and peppery with a touch of tanginess. Traditional berbere is made from whole spices that are toasted for maximum flavor and then ground.
While you can certainly make your own berbere spice blend, you’ll need a fairly large variety of spices. If you do use store-bought berbere be sure to get a good amount of it because you’ll need 1/4-1/3 cup of it for this recipe alone. Keep it stored in an airtight glass jar in a dark place and it will keep for a while. Berbere also makes a great rub for meat, poultry, and fish, as well as a seasoning for stews, soups, and vegetables.
Read also: Ethiopian Cuisine: Philadelphia Guide
How to Make Berbere Spice Less Hot
The best way to make berbere less hot is to make it yourself and use fewer dried chiles. If you purchased berbere spice, that’s difficult to change. You can always use less berbere, but you won’t have the flavor the other spices provide.
Other Essential Ingredients
- Red Lentils: Red lentils cook faster than brown or green lentils because they’re smaller. Their texture after being cooked won’t be the same as brown or green lentils because they somewhat “melt” into the dish they’re in.
- Turnips: Turnips add more texture to the stew.
- Vegetable Broth: If you’re not concerned about keeping the soup vegan, you can also use chicken broth.
Lentils can contain tiny stones or other debris so it’s always a good idea to look them over. To inspect lentils for debris, I pour a small amount onto a white paper plate then spread them out. It’s always a good idea to rinse things like lentils and rice before cooking. After inspecting the lentils for debris, place them in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cool running tap water.
Types of Ethiopian Stews
Ethiopian Red Lentil and Vegetable Stew
This Ethiopian Red Lentil and Vegetable Stew is inspired by that savory, spicy cuisine!
Ingredients:
Read also: Authentic Ethiopian Cuisine
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ tsp. freshly grated ginger
- 1-2 tbsp. berbere spice blend, to taste
- ½-1 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste, optional
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cups dried split red lentils
- 1 (14 oz. or 400 gram) can diced tomatoes
- 3 medium red potatoes, about ¾ lb.
Instructions:
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or other heavy soup pot. Add the onion, reduce heat to medium and cook 5-6 minutes or until beginning to soften.
- Add the carrots, celery and red bell pepper. Continue cooking another 5-6 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic, ginger and Berbere spice. Give it a stir and cook briefly or until the garlic and ginger are fragrant.
- Add the turnips and the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook 5-6 minutes. Add the lentils and petite diced tomatoes. Cover with the lid slightly ajar.
Kai Sega Wat (Spicy Ethiopian Beef Stew)
Kai sega wat is a spicy Ethiopian beef stew with an amazing depth of flavour. That being said, if you’ve never had this stew before, I must warn you that it’s very spicy. This stew is not messing around when it comes to its level of spiciness.
Ingredients:
- Beef
- Red onions
- Berbere spice
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter)
Instructions:
- Place the chopped beef on a plate and season it with 1 tsp of salt. Place the beef in the fridge while you work on the next steps.
- Use a food processor to mince the chopped onions. Pour the onions into the pot. Cover the pot and cook the onions until they turn into a puree (about 20 minutes). Use a cooking spoon to stir the onions occasionally to prevent burning. Add bits of hot water to the onions if they start to stick to the bottom of the pot and start to burn. You can also turn the heat down further to prevent burning.
- Add the oil to the onions. Cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Pour the berbere spice into the pot. Mix well with the onions and cook for 10 minutes with the pot covered. Occasionally stir the mixture to prevent burning.
- Add the beef to the onion mixture. Mix well and cook covered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add and mix the garlic, ginger and niter kibbeh to the stew. Cook with the pot covered for 40 minutes. Continue to stir occasionally to prevent burning.
- Add salt (to taste) and ¾ cup of hot water to the stew. Cook covered for 20 minutes or until the stew is your desired thickness.
Kai sega wat is typically eaten with injera. To eat the stew with injera, you tear off bits of the injera and use it to scoop up the stew like you would with a fork or spoon. You can also eat the stew with rice.
Read also: A Taste of Ethiopia in South Carolina
Abish Wot (Ethiopian Beef Stew with Fenugreek)
Meet abish wot, a classic, spicy Ethiopian beef stew that I make with venison. There are many different beef stews in Ethiopia, as well as many others that feature lamb or goat. This one, abish wot, hinges on ground fenugreek. This spice is used heavily in East African and Indian cooking, as well as in Persia, too. Fenugreek’s flavor is hard to describe, but there are elements of maple syrup and floral aromas going on.
Author Yohanis Gebreyesus has a recipe for abish wot in his book, but I cook this one the way we did at Horn of Africa. It uses the Ethiopian spiced butter niter kebbeh, as well as berbere.
Key Ingredients:
- Fenugreek
- Niter kebbeh (spiced clarified butter)
- Berbere
To make this recipe taste the way it should, you do need to get your hands on these building blocks. The good news is that the berbere powder keeps for more than a year, and, once made, the spiced, clarified butter will also last a year if you tuck it away in the corner of the fridge.
Instructions:
- Arrange the sliced onions in a large, lidded pot like a Dutch oven and turn the heat to medium. Sweat the onions, dry, until they are starting to brown and soft, about 10 minutes. You will need to stir them from time to time.
- When the onions are soft, add the spiced butter and the garlic and stir well. Let this cook another 4 to 6 minutes. Mix in the cumin, berbere, fenugreek and tomato and cook 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the diced venison. Pour in the broth, little by little, stirring to incorporate everything well. Bring to a simmer, add salt to taste, and cover. Let this cook gently for 1 hour.
- Add the potatoes, cover and cook another hour. When the venison and potatoes are tender, add the mekelesha spice, if using, adjust for salt and pepper and serve with bread or rice.
Doro Wat (Ethiopian Chicken Stew)
Doro wat is a traditional Ethiopian dish that is often considered the country’s national dish. Basically, it is a spicy chicken stew that is simmered to perfection in a rich, flavorful sauce with robust, complex spices. “Doro” means chicken in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, and “wat” refers to a spicy stew.
Instructions:
- In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the butter and onion. Caramelize the onions until they are a deep brown color. This should take 8-10 minutes.
- Add half of the oil to the pot along with the garlic, spices, and salt. Stir for about 2 minutes, until the mixture comes together and is very fragrant.
- Add in the chicken, chicken broth, and tomato paste. Cover and cook on low for about 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, uncover, add in the soft-boiled eggs and lemon juice, and stir making sure the eggs are submersed in the sauce.
- Cover and continue cooking for an additional 8-10 minutes or until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165 ℉.
Oftentimes, Ethiopian tradition is to use bread (like injera) as your utensil. This tradition encourages communal eating and adds a unique cultural dimension to the dining experience.
| Stew Type | Main Ingredient | Spice | Serving Suggestion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Lentil Stew | Red Lentils | Berbere | Vegetable Broth |
| Kai Sega Wat | Beef | Berbere | Injera or Rice |
| Abish Wot | Beef or Venison | Fenugreek, Berbere | Bread or Rice |
| Doro Wat | Chicken | Berbere | Injera |
