An adventure in cooking Ethiopian food, Part Two

Well, it's been two weeks but I'm back to post the recipes for Misser Wot and Lamb Tibs. It's been almost two months since we made Ethiopian food and I'm ready to do it again! My boyfriend grumbled when I told him this because it WAS a lot of work, just to make one dish you have to make 4, the dish, the spiced butter, the spice mix and the injera, but. It is totally worth it. If you're short on time, the Misser Wot doesn't use the spiced butter, could be made using store bought berbere and could easily be eaten without the bread.

The lamb tibs were good, but I think the two best dishes were the Doro Wot and the Misser Wot...but I suggest making them all (perhaps for more than 2 people) and seeing what dish each person picks as their favorite!

Misser Wot (Red Lentil Stew) Serves 4-6

Ingredients: 3 large onions, finely diced, 1/4 cup canola or olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, chopped, 1 T chopped fresh ginger, 2 T berbere, 1 t salt, 1 cup red lentils, 2 T tomato paste, 4 cups water.

Directions: Sauté onions with oil in a large saucepan on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent, stirring constantly so they do not stick to the pan. Add garlic and ginger and continue to stir. Add berbere and salt and continue stirring. Add red lentils, tomato paste, and water; bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are cooked. The stew should thicken as it cooks. Add more water if the lentils start to become dry.

Those this is called a 'stew' ours didn't have any broth, and it's never had any when I've gotten it in Ethiopian restaurants, to make sure you don't add so much water that it has liquid.

Lamb Tibs (Lamb in Spicy Sauce) Serves 4-6

Ingredients: 1/2 onion, chopped, 2 T vegetable or canola oil, 1 lb boneless lamb meat, cut into about 1-inch pieces, 2 garlic cloves, chopped, 1 jalapeño, seeds & veins removed, chopped, 2 tomato, chopped, 2 t chopped fresh rosemary, 2 tsp awaze (see note), salt to taste.

Directions: In a large saucepan sauté onion in oil on high heat for a few minutes. Add lamb and contnue to stir while adding garlic and jalapeno. Stir until the lamb is no longer pink, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add tomato, rosemary and awaze and cook until heated through. Add salt and serve hot with injera.

Note: How to Make Awaze

Combine 1/4 cup berbere, 2 T vegetable or canola oil, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 2 T red wine, a dash of salt, and 1 t ground mustard seed; mis all ingredients to make a paste.