Recipe

Eritrean Lentil Stew Recipe

	Attentat / All my dishes 1 year, 3 months ago This is an easy and flavorful stew that is a staple of my family's menu. Totally vegan, but it would go well as a side-dish to red meat. This is a great way to expose yourself to African cuisine! Prep:5m Cook:40m Servings:4	Attentat
	colorful comfortfood eritrean ethiopian stew easy cheap vegan lentils vegetarian

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Ingredients

2 cups lentils

6 1/2 cups of water

1 medium onion, chopped

3 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 large can tomatoes, chopped

1 large tube Italian tomato paste

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 teaspoons berbere (Ethiopian spice mixture. If you don't have this, then the following spices are necessary)

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

4 whole cloves

3/4 teaspoon cardamom seed

1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorn

1/4 teaspoon whole allspice

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1/2 teaspoon coriander seed

8-10 small dried red chilies

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot or 1 teaspoon dried gingerroot

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

The first thing you need to do, if you don't have berbere, is to make it. Toast the the cumin, whole cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, allspice, fenugreek, and coriander over medium heat until fragrant. This should take about two minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Take the dried chilies and remove their stems. Using a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle, finely grind the toasted spices and chilies. Once they are ground to a powder, add the remaining spices. This can be stored in a small bag or jar and keeps very well.

Now to the main recipe! Bring the lentils to a boil in 6 cups of the water and simmer for 20 minutes. When they are done, remove from heat and let sit.

In another pot, saute the onions until nicely browned. The longer and more slowly you carmalize the onions, the more developed the flavor will be.

Add the salt, berbere, tomatoes, tomato paste, and the remaining 1/2 cup of water. Simmer for around ten minutes.

Add garlic and the lentils, still in their water. If you want a thicker stew, drain off some of the cooking liquid from the lentils before adding it to the main dish.

Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. This stage is contingent on what you want the final texture of the dish to be -- cook more or less, depending.

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