Ethiopian Spicy Ground Beef Stew

My Ethiopian Cooking: Spicy Ground Beef Stew (Minchet Abish Wot)
Ingredients:
1 lb ground lean beef
1cup red onion or shallot (finely chopped)
3 tablespoon red hot chili pepper(berbere)
¼ cup purified butter **
4 cup boiled water
¼ teaspoon false cardamom *
A pinch of ginger
½ teaspoon fresh minced garlic or garlic powder
¼ teaspoon bishop weed*
Salt to taste
Preparation:
1st Step: In medium pot, cook the onion using the one cup boiled water by adding two tablespoon each time until the onion is golden brown and soft. (takes10 minutes);
2nd Step: Add one cup of boiled water to the cooked onion, berbere(red chili powder), garlic, ginger, bishop weed and stir it well; add the purified butter, stir very well and one cup of water; (10 minutes);
3rd Step: Spread out and sprinkle the ground beef into the onion pot, add two cups of water; Mix it well and cook for 20 minutes;
4th Step: Add salt and false cardamom; cook it for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
* You will find these spices in Ethiopian or Indian shops/groceries
** Please click here to see how to prepare Purified Butter (Nitir Kebe)

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Rice and Sorghum Injera

My Ethiopian Cooking: Rice and Sorghum Injera (Ethiopian Flat thin bread)

We lived in West Africa where Teff was not available. But we were preparing Injera from rice and sorghum. We loved it as well as our family and friends who visited us. The process was tedious: washing the grains, drying and taking to the mill. However, once we prepared the flour, we were able to keep it in the fridge for longer period.

Ingredients:

4lbs rice flour
2lbs sorghum flour
2 cups self-rising flour
2 teaspoons dry yeast
2 gallons water or more

Preparation:

1st step: Starter - mix the yeast with one glass of warm water and wait until rises;

2nd step: In a large container mix Rice and Sorghum flour with water; or beat it lightly in a blender;

3rd Step: Add the starter and mix it well. Add water generously and cover it tight. Keep it outside to ferment.

4rd Step: The second day (only needs 14-16 hours) pour the fermented water in container and set aside;

5th Step: Blend the self-raising with four cups of the fermented water and mix it with the dough. This time it should be thinner than pancake dough; keep it outside to rise for 30 minutes;

6th Step: Warm a flat pancake pan, or skillet, or a specialized electric stove and pour the dough in circle shape, each Injera bakes within 20 second even less.

P.S. Rice and sorghum dough ferment faster than Teff . Therefore, if not baked within a day, keep the dough in the fridge.

Serving 10-15 persons

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/325192. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Vegetable Lasagna

I like cooking vegetarian dish although I am not vegan or vegetarian. This is one of my favorite pasta casseroles.

Ingredients

12 lasagna noodles
3 cups vegetable pasta home-made sauce*
3 eggplants
4 red sweet peppers (seeded)
3 tomatoes (seeded)
1 cup water
¼ teaspoon oregano
2 cups soy milk or rice milk
2 tablespoon all purpose flour
3 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
¼ cup tofu - crushed to tiny pieces (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

1st Step: Wash the egg plants, peppers and tomatoes, slice as desired; place all in a broiling pan;

2nd Step: Mix one tablespoon oil with salt and black pepper to taste in a small bowl; Coat the sliced vegetables very well; Broil it for 7-10 minutes;

3rd Step: Meanwhile, prepare a white cream - mix water and flour; whisk it well; Add two tablespoon oil, salt and black pepper to taste; Gradually, add soy milk and cook it until it is creamy;

4th Step: Cook the lasagna noodles following direction from the package. Drain and rinse noodles; separating each, place them on paper towel or baking sheet;

5th Step: Warm the pasta sauce if it was prepared in advance; mix it with oregano;

6th Step: Heat the oven to 350 degree;

7th Step: In a non-stick baking pan, spread ½ cup of vegetable sauce and place four lasagna noodles;

8th Step: Over the noodles (a) spread the creamy white sauce (b) the pasta sauce (c) the broiled vegetables (d) tofu (e) pasta sauce. Repeat the placing order until the end which will be three times;

9th Step: Cover and cook it for 40-45 minutes. Turn the heat off; Remove the cover and keep the lasagna inside the oven for 5 minutes;

10th Step: Remove from oven; Keep it outside for another 5 minutes to settle before cutting.

Serves 6 persons.

*Please click here to see how to prepare vegetable pasta sauce.

** If you are not vegan, you may use milk instead of soy or rice milk. You may add cheese instead of tofu.

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/301505. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Ethiopian Whole Wheat Bread

My Ethiopian Cooking: Whole Wheat Bread (Yabisha Dabbo)

Ingredients

2 lbs Whole Wheat flour
½ oz or 1 tablespoon highly active dry yeast
1 tablespoon powder sugar (if desired)
¼ cup olive or vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon bishop weeds or ground coriander *
½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
Salt to taste
8 cups warm water

1st Step: Starter - Mix the yeast with one glass of warm water and wait until rises; or use sourdough starter;

2nd step: Combine the yeast, coriander or bishop weeds, cinnamon, salt, sugar, oil with two cups of warm water in a large deep bowl; Mix well;

3rd Step; Add the flour to the yeast mixture. Blend it with hand by adding the warm water gradually, until the dough is smooth and elastic;

4th Step: Cover the bowl and allow rising until triple in bulk, (takes an hour or more);

5th Step: After dough has risen enough, transfer the dough to a deep baking round or square pan; Spread the dough evenly on the pan;

6th Step: Allow to rise for another 25-30 minutes;

7th Step: Bake at 350 degree for 45-60 minutes (the bread turns to golden brown);

8th Step: Remove the bread from the baking pan and set on a rack to cool.

* You will find these spices in Ethiopian or Indian shops/groceries

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Ethiopian String Beans Stew (Yefesoleya Wot)

This side-dish is complementary to all Ethiopian food.

My Ethiopian Cooking: String Beans Stew (Yefesoleya Wot)

Ingredients

1 lb string beans (trimmed)
2 carrots
1 potato
1 leek or 3 green onions (scallions)
1 stalk celery
1 tomato (seeded and diced)
1 red onion or shallot
3 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 bell pepper
1 teaspoon sun-dried tomato or tomato paste
½ teaspoon chili powder (berbere)
¼ teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon garlic (diced) or garlic powder
1 hot green pepper (seeded and sliced)
Water (as required)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

1st Step: In a boiling water, cook the string beans until crispy-tender (10 minutes);

2nd Step: Meanwhile chop all vegetables in desired shapes;

3rd Step: In a medium pot sauté the onions and the leek with one tablespoon of oil for one minute;

4th Step: Add to the onion, carrots, celery, potatoes and the rest of the oil; stir-fry until tender (10 minutes); add the bell pepper and cook for a minute;

5th Step: Add half cup of water, tomato, sun-dried/tomato paste, basil, garlic, chili powder (berbere), salt and pepper; Cook it for five minutes or more;

6th Step: Drain the string beans in a strainer and rinse with cold water in order to retain its green color;

7th Step: Mix the cooked string beans and the vegetable sauce; cook it for 10 minutes.

8th Step: Add the sliced hot green peppers and remove from heat. Serve it cold or warm.

6 Servings

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/344248. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Lettuce and Vegetable Salad

Ingredients

2 heads of Romaine/Iceberg lettuce
1 medium Cucumber (seeded)
2 medium Tomatoes
2 medium Carrots (peeled)
1 medium yellow squash (seeded)
½ medium shallots (if desired)
2 heads of green onions/scallions (trimmed)
1 each Red, orange or yellow sweet peppers (seeded)
4 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoon Olive oil
¼ teaspoon Garlic powder
1teaspoon fresh Parsley (diced)
2 teaspoon vinaigrette or 1 tablespoon dry white wine (if desired)
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon fresh basil (diced)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

1st Step: With cold water rinse the romaine/Iceberg lettuce, chop in desired shape and spin dried; keep in fridge;

2nd Step: Wash, chop or slice the cucumber, tomatoes, squash, carrots, peppers, scallion, shallot, and keep in fridge;

3rd Step: Prepare the salad dressing: mix the oil with lemon juice, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, basil, vinaigrette, wine, salt and black pepper; Whisk it well until the mixture is smooth or blend it in a food processor if more dressing is needed; Keep in fridge;

4th Step: At the time of serving, combine the vegetables and lettuce; add the salad dressing as desired and toss it well.

P.S. Keep the rest of the dressing in fridge for future use.

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Tomato Soup

Ingredients

4 tomato (washed, seeded, chopped)
6 cups or more water
1 carrot (peeled, chopped)
½ Onion (peeled, chopped)
1 leek or 2 green onion/scallion (trimmed and chopped)
1 celery stalk (chopped)
1 teaspoon fresh basil (diced) or 1 teaspoon dry basil
½ teaspoon fresh garlic (diced) and ½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon thyme
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon butter or 3 tablespoon extra-virgin oil/vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white all purpose flour
Parmesan cheese (if needed)

Preparation

1st Step: Put the tomato, carrot, onion, celery, leek/green onion, basil, thyme, fresh garlic, one tablespoon oil in a big pot; Add the six cups of water or more; Cover and cook for 30 minutes in a lower heat;

2nd Step: Strain the water (vegetable stock) from the cooked vegetables and set aside;

3rd Step: purée (mash) the vegetables in a blender;

4th Step: Mix the flour with 1 cup of the vegetable stock which is set aside;

5th Step: In a medium pot, in a lower heat dilute the butter or heat the oil ; Slowly add the mixed flour & stock; Stir continuously; Cook for 5 minutes;

6th Step: Add the blended vegetables, garlic powder and bay leaves to the pot; Mix well with one cup of the vegetable stock; Cook for 5 - 7 minutes;

7th Step: Add black pepper and salt to taste.

Serve it hot or cold with fresh basil leaves or Parmesan cheese

P.S. You may use this recipe as marinara sauce for pasta.

You may keep the rest of vegetable stock in fridge for future use.

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