Posted on 04/08/2016 4:43:56 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
I worked for several years in a large office that included many people who were originally from other countries. We had people from India, the Philippines, China, Korea, and Africa; and our office potlucks were amazing.
I first tasted Ethiopian food at one of those parties, when a young woman made 'Siga Wot', a spicy beef stew; and 'Injera', the spongy, fermented sourdough bread that is used to scoop up other foods, and sometimes used as a sort of 'plate'.
To make Siga Wot, you must first have Berbere, a spicy seasoning used in many Ethiopian dishes. There are many slightly different versions of it - some include Fenugreek, which I'm not crazy about and leave out. (I believe that Berbere may be the same type of seasoning that shows up in many Ethiopian recipes as "chow".)
Here is the Epicurious recipe for Berbere:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ethiopian-spice-mix-berbere-104015
And here is a recipe for the Siga Wot (there are many versions, just as with any of our classic American dishes; this is just one):
http://www.african-food-recipes.com/ethiopian-siga-wat.html
The narration of the following video appears to be in Amharic, but it gives you an idea of the technique:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR5o0lpI-bw
This is best served with real Injera; I haven't made the bread myself yet, but we were recently in a local Seventh Day Adventist shop and they had Teff flour, so I bought some and will try making it soon. (Be sure that you get Teff *flour*, and not the whole grain. The grain (the plant is actually a grass) is so fine that you would have difficulty trying to grind it into flour. The brand we purchased is Bob's Red Mill; but it is also sold in bulk in health food stores.
Here is the Exploratorium's recipe for Injera; it's a recipe that uses some whole wheat flour, which many Ethiopians who have come to America have adapted to include, probably because until very recently Teff was not widely available in the US, and mixing it with other flour made the Teff that they did have go further. But you can also find recipes made entirely of Teff; which is what I'm going to try.
https://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/bread/recipe-injera.html
Lastly, one of the most fascinating things to me about Ethiopia is Lalibela, and its rock-cut churches:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalibela
-JT
Yes, her show was on in the US.
I never failed to watch it.
She’s written slews of cookbooks.
Where the hell was it??? I’m shocked I missed it.
She’s so famous I’ve forgotten her last name!
Ribbons of cucumbers, red pepper julienne, peas nested in pods, drizzled w/ tahini dressing.
Or add chicken shreds...whatever you like
Very nice. This will keep you slim and healthy!
Julia Child's country kitchen in her Provence home.
She never looked that orderly when she was cooking on TV.
I tried a dragonfruit not too long ago. They’re normally out of my price range, but this one was mislabeled, so I got it for $1. I just ate it straight, didn’t do anything special, but I did notice one odd thing: If I ate it fast, the way most Americans eat, it was pretty bland. But if I ate it slowly, chewing it very thoroughly, it would suddenly turn sweet and refreshing.
Just a random observation. I really liked it.
Millet is not a species, it’s a category. Teff is just one kind.
Ah, I am a high school drop out and didn’t pay attention much... :-)
It IS expensive!
I stole her idea of pegboard when I moved last year. The kitchen has very little storage so I tacked them up all over the wall. They look handsome and are great.
Do you watch Rachel Khoo? What she does with that tiny but adorable Parisien kitchen!
Sounds very efficient——all your kitchen tools at the ready.
Haven’t caught her show, yet....will be on the lookout.
Small kitchen accounts for the horrendous expensive to live in Paris, I presume.
Have you read this? LOL!
Yes, she runs a tiny restaurant out of her apartment. Two people are served nightly. She’s the cutest little thing and her cookbook is beautiful.
Yes, I know all about cultural food appropriation! General Tso Chicken! White devil steals refined Chinese food and adds sugar! Thank God Gourmet Magazine isn’t around. Reichl would go to town defending this monstrous Maoist idea.
Thanks for the tip....checked her out....her website is charming.
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