How to prepare Vegan Misri Ethiopian Wot
During my one month stay in the graceful highlands of Dire Dawa plateau of Ethiopia, I strived to learn how to make traditional vegan dishes of Ethiopia. Unfortunately, my friends who were hosting me, were not of much help as they had moved in a month earlier. They were all foreigners and adventurers.
As a vegan, I always spent a lot of energy on picking what to eat in a foreign country. Fortunately, Ethiopia has dozens of vegan-dishes whose ingredients are readily available at the nearest store.
Therefore, after a whole day of traveling, I would return home with one aim. That is the aim of making an Ethiopian vegan dish for myself and my friends. This went on well. It replaced the tedious evenings in the restaurants and eating every day outside.
Here is the process of preparing vegan misri Ethiopian wats. Serve it with delicious Injera! Before we get started, it is better to note that wats do not have specific ingredients. Animal products, especially beef, and eggs, usually find their way into the recipe. It will be helpful to let your hosts or server in the restaurant know that you are vegan. This is yet another reason why I prefer preparing cooking on my own.
If you do not know what is Wat and Injera, please read my previous article on vegan dishes in Ethiopia
Vegan Ethiopian Misri Wot
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups water
- 1 unit onion medium size
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1.5 cups split red lentils dry
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- salt as per taste
- 1 tbsp Berbere
- 0.5 can tomato sauce
Instructions
- Finely chop garlic and the red onions
- Sautee it with the olive oil inside a medium-sized pot for up to 4 minutes.
- Add the berbere mixture together with the tomato paste and mix it by stirring
- If your mixture is too thick, add about a quarter cup of water
- Keep heating the mixture for about 3 minutes while stirring.
- The final step is adding the red lentils after chopping with a bowlful of water, keep cooking it at medium heat until adding water if necessary until it is ready.
- Serve when hot together with Injera.