I Want to Make Good Ethiopian Food

Dear Ethiopians,

You are probably sick and tired of listening to me talk about how I wish I could cook your national cuisine. You could solve this problem by writing many helpful comments on this post.

In the meantime, here is an update since my last Ethiopian adventure.

Injera Bread

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

- 2 c warm water

- 3/4 c white flour

- 3/4 c teff flour

- Few T sourdough starter, or injera dough from your last batch (optional)

Instructions:

- Combine all ingredients and let stand, covered, at room temperature for 8 hours.

- Add 1/4 c water and 1/2 c flour (I used white but you can use teff) and stir to combine.

- Store in the fridge for up to a week (if you go longer than a week, let it sit out overnight and feed with the amounts in the previous step).

- To cook: heat an un-greased or barely-greased nonstick pan on medium heat and ladle in some batter until the bottom of the pan is covered. Cook on one side until eyes form and the bread can be easily removed from the pan (just like cooking a crepe, but a little thicker). 

Yellow Split Peas
(Serves 8)

Ingredients:
- 1 lb dried yellow split peas (check for rocks)
- 4 c water
- 3 small onions, chopped
- 1/2 stick butter
- Salt, to taste

Instructions:
- Boil the peas and water with a dash of salt, covered, adding more water as needed, until the peas fall apart (about 40-60 minutes). Puree them with a hand blender.
- Meanwhile, cook the onions and the butter with a dash of salt on high heat until the onions are transparent and starting to brown. Then turn up the heat and cook the bottom layer until it's almost black (but down burn it).
- Combine the onions and the peas and add salt to taste.

Cabbage, Carrots and Potatoes
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:
- 1 c cabbage, shredded
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 4 small red potatoes, chopped
- 2 T flour
- 1/3 stick butter
- Ground ginger, turmeric, lemon juice, and salt to taste

Instructions:
- Heat butter, shallot, a dash of salt, and spices (I started with a few t of each and added more as I went along).
- Meanwhile, toss carrots and potatoes in flour.
- Add the carrots, potatoes, and cabbage to the pan and continue to cook on high heat, adding a few generous splashes of lemon juice and water when the mixture starts to stick, until the potatoes are tender and the cabbage is soft (about 20-30 mins).
- Season to taste.

Enjoy,
Tofu