Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[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

[Jamestown1630]

Injera is very different from Naan. It’s a fermented and sour bread, made from Teff, which is gluten-free (when made entirely with Teff); with a very sponge-y texture.

It’s cooked more like a crepe is cooked. It’s soft and flexible, and basically looks like a rolled-up washcloth when it’s served. It makes a nice ‘utensil’ to pinch off and scoop up the other foods offered; and the sourness enhances the flavors of traditional Ethiopian dishes.

-JT

[mumblypeg]

I’ve had snails in the garlic butter, served in the shells that were nestled in the special plate—it had little holes similar to a devilled egg platter to hold the snails in place. Delish!
Well, anyway, **I** was impressed.
Without the arty-farty presentation they prolly woulda tasted like garden slugs. :^)

[MtnClimber]

I had some very good hummus when I was in Bahrain after the first Gulf war. Have not found any in the US nearly as good.

[Jamestown1630]

I’m going to do a post on Hummus soon; when I have time to actually rub all the skin off of every chickpea ;-)

-JT

[BronzePencil]

I’ve made chicken Doro Wat a few times. It’s worth the effort!

http://m.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/ethiopian-chicken-stew-doro-wat.html

[Jamestown1630]

These snail posts remind me of the scene in ‘Pretty Woman’, when the snail flew out of the girl’s utensil (those “slippery little suckers”):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbAE8dE_3l4

-JT

[leaning conservative]

Julia Roberts had star power oozing from every pore & that scene was a classic. I too thank you for all the hard work you put into this thread. I look forward to it so much ; )

[RegulatorCountry]

The first time I ever ate escargot, they were prepared that way, flambeed table side with butter and garlic. We only stopped because we were amused at the building, which looked like The Flintstone’s house. Walked in and was surprised to find a very nice French restaurant. The waiter who prepared them must have been masterful, because I’ve never had them seem right since, and have given up on escargot. They were almost flash-fried, very lightly crisp on the outside, just the right amount of garlic.

[Califreak]

I’ve heard Ethiopian food is good.

My son and I love hummus.

I used to make “Authentic Syrian Kicked Up Hummus” that I found on the net.

Drooling.

[Jamestown1630]

The thing I like best about the scene is the graciousness of the old man, and Gere’s character’s recognition of it.

But Yes, the Julia character was portrayed wonderfully.

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

Here is another Ethiopian recipe using Berbere. Many Ethiopians are Orthodox Christians, who do not eat meat on certain days; so lots of their recipes are vegetarian:

http://yumuniverse.com/ethiopian-lentils-with-berbere-spice/

-JT

[Roos_Girl]

Use black beans instead of chick peas. :)

[Califreak]

Thanks! :)

[Jamestown1630]

I love black beans, especially black bean soup; but never thought of using them in hummus :-)

-JT

[beethoven]

I agree with other posts.... All of your effort putting together this wonderful cooking thread is sincerely appreciated. I’ve learn so many things and tried some great recipes. I’m looking forward to your Hummus post!

[Jamestown1630]

I’ll try to get the hummus post together for next week.

(Doing this Cooking Thread is my Great Pleasure!)

G’nite!

-JT

[beethoven]

I looked up the Blue Nile to see if it was still there... It says it closed after 35-years on Telegraph Avenue. One person posted their Yemeni Bread was so good, but they wouldn't sell her any extra!!! My mother-in-law lived in Berkeley for many, many years before she died.

[kalee]

I have never cooked Ethiopian food but I have eaten it at a restaurant in Atlanta. We used to take out of town guests to an Ethiopian restaurant when they visited.

[Roos_Girl]

I don’t like regular hummus, but I will make black bean hummus every now and then. Black beans, garlic, olive oil, salt and a little cayenne.

[Roos_Girl]

I should add, there’s a restaurant outside of downtown Orlando that serves black bean hummus and that is where I got the idea to make my own. They serve with pita wedges.