🍛 Misir wat

Name: Misir wat
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Ethiopia · Horn of Africa
Ingredients: 250 g red lentils, rinsed; 2 large onions, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tbsp grated ginger; 2–3 tbsp berbere; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 750 ml water; Salt; Injera, to serve

Origin: Ethiopia · Horn of Africa

330kcal

per serving · 300 g

110kcal

per 100 g

18 gProtein6 g / 100 g

9 gFat3 g / 100 g

45 gCarbs15 g / 100 g

Misir wat is an Ethiopian stew of red lentils simmered with slowly cooked onion, garlic, ginger and the chili spice blend berbere. The lentils break down into a thick, spicy and earthy sauce with a deep red colour. It is ladled onto injera, the spongy sourdough flatbread made from teff, and eaten by hand, tearing off pieces of injera to scoop it up.

Diets

✓

Vegetarianno meat or fish in a typical recipe

✓

Veganno meat, fish or animal products in a typical recipe

✓

No pork

✓

Gluten-freeno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

Not keto15 g carbs per 100 g

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.

What it is made of

red lentilsberbere spice mixoniongarlicgingerinjera

Recipe

4 servings50 min

Ingredients

250 g red lentils, rinsed
2 large onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp grated ginger
2–3 tbsp berbere
2 tbsp vegetable oil
750 ml water
Salt
Injera, to serve

Method

Cook the onions in a dry pot over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until soft and reduced.
Add the oil, garlic, ginger and berbere and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the lentils and water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 25–30 minutes, stirring, until thick.
Season with salt and add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
Serve on injera.

How to make it lighter

Cooking the onions dry first keeps the flavour while using less oil.
Fill half the plate with a vegetable wat or salad and keep injera to one or two pieces.
Lentils are filling on their own, so a moderate portion of the stew goes a long way.

History

Misir wat belongs to the Ethiopian and Eritrean tradition of wat stews. Because it contains no animal products, it is a staple on the many fasting days of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Today it is one of the most common dishes on Ethiopian restaurant platters worldwide.

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Similar dishes

Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →