Vegan Ethiopian Feast

This is a collection of recipes I found at different food blogs and websites.  They created an amazing meal with enough food to last for several days. 

To create Ethiopia's national dish, Dora Wat, I used the berberé spice mixture recipe from www.fatfreevegan.com.    Then, I veganized the Dora Wat recipe found at www.whats4eats.com by omitting the butter and hard boiled eggs and using seitan as the protein source instead of chicken.

I also found a couple of great recipes at fatfreevegan.com for Injera (ethiopian flat-bread) and Ethiopian Green Beans and Potatoes.

I found the the salad dressing recipe for the chopped lettuce and tomato salad at Ethiopian salad dressing at www.thriftyfun.com.

Ethiopian Berberé Spice Blend

1 tablespoon ground cardamon

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground fenugreek

1 tablespoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon ground allspice

1 tablespoon  ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 tablespoon tumeric

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon ground sea salt

1 tablespoon New Mexican red chili powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon ground ginger

Combine ingredients well. Store in cool, dark place.

Vegan Dora Wat

1 pound protein ( suggestions include seitan, cubed tofu, Morningstar vegan steak strips, Soy Curls, etc.)

Juice of one lemon

2 medium-sized sweet onions, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon chopped ginger root

1/4 cup grapeseed oil ( or canola oil)

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

1/4 to 1/2 cup Ethiopian Berberé Spice Blend

3/4 cup water or veggie stock

1/4 cup red wine

1/2 to 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper as needed to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Pour the lemon juice over your protein source.  Let it marinate for ~30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, purée the onions, garlic, and ginger.  Add a small amount of water if needed.

Heat the grapeseed oil in a large pot on medium heat.  Add the paprika and cook for ~1 minute. Then, add the berberé spice blend.   Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes.

Add the puréed onion mixture to the pot and sauté until most of the moisture evaporates and the onion loses its raw flavor, aroma (5-10 minutes).  Do not allow the mixture to burn.

Pour the water/stock and wine into the spiced, sautéd onion mixture.  Add your protein source.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a slow slimmer.  Simmer for 45 minutes.  (You may consider doing this in a crock pot on low for a few hours.)  Add water as needed to maintain a sauce-like consistency.

Adjust seasoning as needed with cayenne, salt, and pepper.

Serve hot with injera, bread, or rice.

Ethiopian Green Beans and Potatoes

4 large white potatoes, cut into large chunks

1/2 lb. green beans or sugar snap peas

1 small yellow onion, chopped finely

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small can Hatch green chilies

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons grapeseed oil ( or canola oil)

Salt to taste

1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)

Juice of one lime.

In a large pot, cover potato chunks with cold water.  Bring to a boil and cook for 10-12 minutes on high heat.   Add green beans and cook for 3-5 minutes more.  Drain green beans and potatoes in a colander.

Heat large non-stick or cast iron skillet.  Sauté onion, garlic, and green chilies in oil for 3-4 minutes.  Stir in cumin, coriander, and tumeric.  Add potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, and lime juice.  Cook for an additional minute or two just to heat everything up.

Ethiopian Salad Dressing

This is a dressing for a garden salad usually consisting of lettuce, onion, cucumber, and tomato.

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons parsley, chopped (may be fresh or dried)

1/4 teaspoon ginger root, minced ( may used powdered ginger)

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients.  Add dressing to salad and toss.

Injera