learn to cook ethiopian food

We LOVE Ethiopian food in our house. But I have found it very difficult to find some key ingredients. But there is one dish that I thought I could pull off. Butcha. It’s a spicy chick pea dish. I think I came out pretty good. Not as good as the restaurants ofcourse, but pretty damn good.

Ethiopian food is AWESOME! Don’t be intimidated by the injera; it’s not that hard to make. Use a simple recipe that calls for regular self-rising flour and yeast. The toppings are not that hard but the ingredients can be challenging to find, but for that I have one word: Google.

I’m from Rochester, NY where they have two Ethiopian restaurants… amazing!! I’m vegetarian so obviously I only eat off the vegetarian menu. My favorite is shiro wat, which is apparently the most difficult to make… requires powdered split peas (or lentils?) and certain spices that I can’t figure out.

One of the restaurants told me they make the injera out of half white flour and half teff because teff is expensive. I’ve found whole grain teff flour… I’m not sure if that is the same kind used traditionally or in restaurants (as compared to “white” teff flour if there is such a thing). It makes the bread too dark and gritty when used alone. I’ve made some decent injera using a combination of some recipes on fooddownunder.com and some of my own ideas.

I’ve had good luck making yat’akilt (potatoes, carrots etc), and kik alicha (yellow split peas). I’ve tried making gomen, but the collard greens always end up a bit too bitter. I wish I could make shiro wat.

It’s never as good as the restaurant when I make it, but my friends say it’s pretty good for homemade Ethiopian (and not in a restaurant).

Okay so I didn’t cook it, but my god it was good. We went to a place in town and it’s just amazing I love it.

I just can’t seem to find the time to cook something new. It always takes so much longer than you think it will. And then if it’s not any good everyone is still hungry.

I’m keeping it on the list though. Someday…

I just found out that one of my friends cooks a few ethiopian dishes.
I’ll be headed to her place in a few weeks and hopefully learn to make a lentil dish or two.

This may be of interest, it was in yesterdays paper. It’s all about making injera.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/01/dining/01inje.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

But I am waiting for a little more free time. Starting in July I should be able to concentrate on this more readily, as well as recruiting the help of a coworker who is Eritrean and knows his food.

Apparently, to make Ethiopian ‘bread’, you need a type of flour that is only grown and harvested in Ethiopia. It is called ‘Tef’ flour. If you know where you can get it, let me know.

is the secret to happiness. unfortunately, it’s also supposed to be difficult to make. anyone who’s succeeded, i would love to hear your recipe!

just thinking about red lentils, and beets and potatoes, and carrot salad, and spiced white cheese…

and not to forget thick coffee with a little dish of smoking incense…

oh, it just doesn’t get better than that. plus, i love to eat with my hands.