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Spicy Red Lentil Stew (Misir Wat)

DeidreVee
Aug 25, 2018
2 min read

Hey Family! So, I have pretty much adopted Ethiopia as my home country due to their amazing culture, running ability and of course the FOOD! They are one of the few countries left that practice Christian Orthodox with approximately three to four days a week that they do not eat meat and at least two days where they do not eat dairy either. (A vegan's dream). I have eaten food from various African countries due to the amazing encounters I have had throughout the years, but by far Ethiopia takes the cake. So recently I decided I wanted to try my hand at an Ethiopian dish. So I set my sights on one of my favorites, Misir Wat (Misir Wot) which is a spicy red lentil stew. Although I am missing Injera which is a stable for any of their meals, this dish still came out great! I had to start small, so this dish can be paired with your grain of choice. This dish is nothing without the Berbere spice. It is pretty much impossible to substitute due to the multitude of spices included, but luckily I was able to find it at my local Walmart for $4.

Okay I've talked too much, so here you go:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Dried red lentils

1-14 oz can diced tomatoes

3 Medium red potatoes (diced)

2 Handfuls of spinach (fresh or frozen)

1- Medium red onion (diced)

3- Cloves of garlic (minced)

1 1/2 Tsp of ginger

1 Tbs of Berbere spice (only add another tablespoon if you can take your heat)

1/2 Tsp of cayenne pepper

4 cups of vegetable broth

Salt

Pepper

Sugar (optional to taste)

Grapeseed oil

Directions:

1. In a large pot, add enough grapeseed oil to coat the bottom and warm on medium high heat. Add onion and allow it to salute on its own until it begins to brown. Add in the garlic and spices for one minute.

2. Add in the broth, lentils, tomatoes and potatoes. Allow it to simmer and then reduce heat for approximately 30 minutes. (Or until the lentils and potatoes are soft)

3. Add in the spinach in the last two minutes.

4. At this point you can season more with salt, pepper, sugar, or even more Berbere spice.