Spicy Vegan Ethiopian Lentil Stew
This one-pot, flavor-packed, spicy Ethiopian recipe may seriously change your life. With the secret weapon being berbere spice, each bite is a sizzling sensation that your taste buds won't soon forget. Easy to pull together and even easier to devour, it's a perfect dish to serve at dinner parties or to share at a potluck. I served this stew over a bed of organic, brown basmati rice and with roasted asparagus, but, you could choose almost any other whole grain and any veggie side and it would just as amazing!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp grapeseed oil omit the oil and dry saute or use broth if NOSS
- 1 medium onion - large dice yellow, sweet, white...it doesn't matter
- 5 cloves garlic - finely diced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger - finely diced
- 3-4 medium organic Yukon gold potatoes - cubed red potatoes work great too
- 3 organic carrots - large dice
- 1 1/2 cup lentils -uncooked use green or red
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes - low sodium
- 1 can (13.5 oz) unsweetened organic coconut milk used as a balance to the spice so use less if you don't want as much fat content
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 tbsp Berbere spice
- 3-4 cups vegetable broth
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Gather and prepare all your ingredients (mise en place)* and heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the grapeseed oil and onions to the pot, along with a pinch of salt and saute for about 8 minutes to develop flavor. Add the ginger and garlic; stir and let saute for another few minutes until fragrant.
- Add the carrots and a little veggie broth and let saute for about 5 - 8 more minutes. Add the potatoes, berbere, and bay leaf, along with a little more veggie broth so it can simmer in the juice. You should only have a little liquid at the bottom of your pan. (Hey, Rockstar...you are developing flavor!)
- Add the berbere, tomatoes, and lentils. Stir everything together so all ingredients are well coated and playing nicely with each other. Add about 2 cups of veg broth to simmer. Reduce heat to low-medium and cover. Let them do their thing.
- Stir occasionally and add more broth as needed. You want to make sure there is enough broth so the lentils, carrots, and potatoes can simmer and soften. Simmer for about 20 minutes, covered loosely (meaning, don't cover it tightly!). Stir occasionally. Once the veg and lentils soften, add the coconut milk. Continue to simmer on low heat, cover off, for about 10 - 15 minutes. The stew should be fairly thick and not runny.
- Serve over your favorite organic whole grain such as farro or basmati rice and garnish with fresh cilantro. Great sides include roasted broccoli, asparagus or sautéed spinach.
Notes
* Not pictured: vegetable broth.