Let’s thank Eritrea for this giant, vegan bowl of deliciousness – a happy mixture of spicy lentils, offset by sweet carrots and tomatoes. The heat comes from berberé, the regional spice blend that should be added with a heavy hand.
Edited to add: One of our readers posted a great tip in the comments section of our Ethiopian menu which also applies to Eritrean cooking: “When I watch Ethiopian cooks in Ethiopia they chop up red onion very tiny (I use a food processor and stop short of pulverizing as it helps it cook down faster) and then dry cook it in the pan — no oil. They dry cook it stirring constantly until it turns almost into a paste — imagine the consistency of a good roux. It takes a lot of onion to get the right amount of this paste. Then add the oil/lentils, sauce stuff, etc. The onion paste is actually the thickener for the wat — if you don’t do this step properly then the wat ends up too soupy/watery or you end up having to put in too much other thickeners.” -Sandra
While our version is nice and dry (and tastes lovely as is), you might be interested in playing with this technique sometime.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 people | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 20-45 minutes |
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Let’s thank Eritrea for this giant, vegan bowl of deliciousness – a happy mixture of spicy lentils, offset by sweet carrots and tomatoes. The heat comes from berberé, the regional spice blend that should be added with a heavy hand.
Edited to add: One of our readers posted a great tip in the comments section of our Ethiopian menu which also applies to Eritrean cooking: “When I watch Ethiopian cooks in Ethiopia they chop up red onion very tiny (I use a food processor and stop short of pulverizing as it helps it cook down faster) and then dry cook it in the pan — no oil. They dry cook it stirring constantly until it turns almost into a paste — imagine the consistency of a good roux. It takes a lot of onion to get the right amount of this paste. Then add the oil/lentils, sauce stuff, etc. The onion paste is actually the thickener for the wat — if you don’t do this step properly then the wat ends up too soupy/watery or you end up having to put in too much other thickeners.” -Sandra
While our version is nice and dry (and tastes lovely as is), you might be interested in playing with this technique sometime.
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Ingredients
- vegetable oil -or-
- ghee
- 5 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1-2 tsp berberé (1 for mild)
- 2 carrots
- 15 oz canned tomatoes (chopped)
- 1 1/2 cups dried lentils
- 2 cups broth (or water)
- salt
- pepper
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
- Add chopped onions to a medium pot and sauté in a little ghee or oil.
- Once the onions are softened and starting to color, add the berberé. One tsp of my berberé blend will make the stew mild because the lentils soak up most of the heat. Toast in the oil for a moment, then add the carrot, tomato, and lentils.
- Add water and seasoning (to taste). Simmer for 25-45 minutes, until the lentils are tender but not mushy. Check seasonings, adding more salt, pepper or berberé as desired.