Ethiopian Berbere Spiced Lentils

Name: Ethiopian Berbere Spiced Lentils
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 cups dried split red lentils; 5 cups water; 4 cloves garlic (minced); 1 onion (diced); 1 tsp olive oil; 5 tomatoes (chopped); 4 tbsp berbere spice (I recommend adding the berbere 1 tbsp at a time and tasting for heat level since blends vary in spiciness.); 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper; 1 tsp salt; 2 tbsp tomato paste

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These vegan Ethiopian berbere spiced lentils are amazing! The tangy flavors are distinct and mildly spicy. If you have never tried Ethiopian food, you must! This recipe was inspired by the Ethiopian dish Misir Wot. It's easy, relatively quick to make and so tasty! This is a super satisfying meal when teamed up with rice or bread and a salad.

What is berbere spice?

Berbere spice is a spice blend that originates from Ethiopia. Like curry spice or ras el hanout, it is a combination of multiple spices that produce a very distinct flavor. Berbere usually contains a mix of chiles, ginger, paprika, garlic, fenugreek, cloves, allspice and cinnamon. It is not exactly spicy but does have some heat. I find berbere to be pleasantly warming and tangy with a slight hint of citrus. It gives these Ethiopian berbere spiced lentils a truly different and delicious flavor.

Why I love Ethiopian Food

If you have never visited an Ethiopian restaurant, you should. My first experience with Ethiopian Food was in the mid-nineties in North Oakland, Ca. I was smitten with the large platters of various flavorful dishes perched atop a round platter of teff. Teff injera is an unleavened flat bread made from teff flour. It is soft, fluffy and very thin and you use it to scoop up the food into your mouth like a tortilla. The platters were like mezze in that they had several small samplings of dishes so you could have a variety of tastes and textures. I still daydream about visiting Cafe Colucci again on Telegraph Ave to have a delicious veggie platter on their patio with the sun on my shoulders.

INGREDIENTS FOR BERBERE SPICED LENTILS

The ingredients for this recipe are pretty basic and easy to find. The only one that is a specialty item is the berbere spice, but McCormick and Frontier make one that is readily available.

split red lentils
water
garlic
onion
olive oil
tomatoes
berbere spice
cayenne pepper
salt
tomato paste

HOW TO MAKE ETHIOPIAN SPICED LENTILS

Making this dish is fairly easy. I like to boil the lentils on the back burner while sautéing the garlic, onions and tomatoes on the front burner. Once combined, I put on some rice to cook and mix my side salad.

Boil the lentils in water for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, fry the garlic and onions in oil until toasty 3-5 minutes.
Add chopped tomatoes, salt and cook until tomatoes release juices.
Add berbere spice, cayenne and tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes.
When lentils are soft, add spiced tomato and onion mixture to the lentils and simmer for 10 minutes to combine.
Taste for salt and adjust if needed.
Serve with salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, tomato, avocado and cabbage mixed with lemon juice and rice.

Overhead shot of a big pot of cooked red lentils

Tips for making the best Lentils

Be careful with the spices. Some berbere spice blends have more heat than others and if you are sensitive to spicy food, 4 tbsp may be too much for you to handle! Add the berbere 1 tbsp at a time, mix and taste it to make sure it's ok for your palette before adding more.
Red lentils do not hold their shape well once cooked. Rather, they make a pleasantly creamy and mushy texture. This is how you know they are finished cooking.
When storing soups and hot dishes like this one, be sure to let it cool completely before covering. If you cover it too soon it risks trapping the heat, making condensation and causing premature spoilage.
This dish will last for 5-6 days when properly refrigerated and covered. It will freeze well for up to 3 months when sealed.

Other tasty lentil recipes