---
title: Misir Wot
date: 2024-08-11 19:00:00
slug: ET-Misir-Wot
country: ET
tags:
  - lentil
  - vegetarian
  - stew
---

<img src="https://static.garrettmills.dev/assets/blog-images/food/et-misir/optimized/misir-1.jpg">

Despite our [previous explorations](/food/c/ET) of meat-featuring special-occasion foods, Ethiopian cuisine is perhaps most famously known for its wide variety of vegan dishes. This is largely due to traditions of the Oriental Orthodox church, which bars the consumption of animal products during times of fasting.[^1]

This week's dish is _misir wot_.[^2] Similar to our first foray, the [_doro wat_](http://localhost:8000/food/2024/07/27/ET-Doro-Wat/), _misir wot_ is a thick stew but this time made from lentils (red, traditionally)[^3] instead of chicken, and, according to today's recipe, is "one of the most commonly prepared vegetarian dishes."

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    <div><img src="https://static.garrettmills.dev/assets/blog-images/food/et-misir/optimized/misir-2.jpg"></div>
    <div><img src="https://static.garrettmills.dev/assets/blog-images/food/et-misir/optimized/misir-3.jpg"></div>
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This week I wanted to switch it up, so I'm using a recipe from "Auntie Tsehai Cooks: A Guide to Making Authentic Ethiopian and Eritrean Cuisine" by Tsehai Fessehatsion and Erin Peterson. According to her bio, Tsehai is a traditional Ethiopian cook who grew up learning from her mother. I happened upon this book when browsing for Ethiopian cookbooks at IndyPL.

<img src="https://static.garrettmills.dev/assets/blog-images/food/et-misir/optimized/misir-4.jpg">
<center>The ingredients I used. Not pictured: salt, oil, <i>injera</i> bread.</center>

Unlike the _doro_ which called for very finely diced onion, Tsehai calls for straight-up onion paste.[^4] I achieved this using the small side of my box grater. Like the _doro_, though, she calls for the onion to be cooked initially without any oil.

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    <div><img src="https://static.garrettmills.dev/assets/blog-images/food/et-misir/optimized/misir-5.jpg"></div>
    <div><img src="https://static.garrettmills.dev/assets/blog-images/food/et-misir/optimized/misir-6.jpg"></div>
</div>
<center>I'm not crying; you're crying.</center>

After dry-frying the onions slowly to caramelize them,[^5] we add in the _berbere_, a diced tomato, tomato paste, ginger, and garlic.

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    <div><img src="https://static.garrettmills.dev/assets/blog-images/food/et-misir/optimized/misir-7.jpg"></div>
    <div><img src="https://static.garrettmills.dev/assets/blog-images/food/et-misir/optimized/misir-8.jpg"></div>
</div>

The resulting paste is cooked over low heat for ~10 minutes to help the flavors develop. Then, rinsed (not soaked) lentils are added. This is where the technique was most interesting to me. I'm used to adding lentils along with plenty of water for cooking and just walking away and letting it simmer.

According to Tsehai, since consistency is such a core tenet of Ethiopian cooking, cooks will tend sauces while they cook to ensure they develop the correct consistency. This technique is reflected here -- we are instructed to add water 3 tablespoons at a time, only as it is absorbed by the lentils, to maintain the correct consistency.

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row">
    <div><img src="https://static.garrettmills.dev/assets/blog-images/food/et-misir/optimized/misir-9.jpg"></div>
    <div><img src="https://static.garrettmills.dev/assets/blog-images/food/et-misir/optimized/misir-10.jpg"></div>
    <div><img src="https://static.garrettmills.dev/assets/blog-images/food/et-misir/optimized/misir-11.jpg"></div>
</div>

All told, this took about 4.5 cups of hot water added over the course of about 45 minutes until the lentils had cooked to the correct done-ness. Despite the more-involved nature of the cooking, I really liked this approach. It let me add more water based on how much longer the sauce needed to cook, rather than cooking the sauce longer because the water needed to evaporate.

<img src="https://static.garrettmills.dev/assets/blog-images/food/et-misir/optimized/misir-12.jpg">

I served the _misir_ with some _injera_ flatbread. The resulting sauce _is_ spicy, yes, but I continue to be amazed at how well the techniques take the edge off of the spice and blend it into the dish. I _really_ liked the _misir_; it's probably my favorite of the Ethiopian dishes we've tried so far, and definitely one I'd make again on a week night.

As for my technical shortcomings, I primarily wish I'd caramelized the onions longer. I'd like to try this recipe again, but play with the spices. Yohanis Gebreyesus, author of the cookbook I used for the last two weeks, includes a recipe for _misir_ that uses much less _berbere_ but leans more into other earthy spices like _nigella_ and _mekelesha_ blend.

## Fusion Zone

> <b><small>Disclaimer</small></b><br>
> What follows makes no attempt at replicating traditions or customs, and is my own sacrilegious doing.

The [first week](/food/2024/07/27/ET-Doro-Wat) of our Ethiopian exploration, I visited my local [Ethiopian restaurant](https://maps.app.goo.gl/YiHhGryyzoCcHe4PA) and convinced them to sell me some full-size _injera_, which they graciously did.

There was no way I was going to finish all the _injera_ before it spoiled, and I wanted to have some for later weeks, so I decided to try freezing it. I did this by cutting it into strips, rolling it up, and plastic-wrapping each roll. Then, a couple of hours before dinner, I removed 6 or so rolls and let them thaw.

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    <div style="flex: 1"><img src="https://static.garrettmills.dev/assets/blog-images/food/et-misir/optimized/misir-13.jpg"></div>
    <div style="flex: 0.5"></div>
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It's not perfect, and the thawed _injera_ is a bit less flexible than its fresh counterpart, but I was surprised at how well it worked.

(Also, I ate the leftover _misir_ for lunch over white rice -- highly recommend.)

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row">
    <div><img src="https://static.garrettmills.dev/assets/blog-images/food/et-misir/optimized/misir-14.jpg"></div>
    <div><img src="https://static.garrettmills.dev/assets/blog-images/food/et-misir/optimized/misir-15.jpg"></div>
    <div><img src="https://static.garrettmills.dev/assets/blog-images/food/et-misir/optimized/misir-16.jpg"></div>
</div>

All images in this post were taken by me. I borrowed "Auntie Tsehai Cooks: A Guide to Making Authentic Ethiopian and Eritrean Cuisine" from the fantastic Indianapolis Public Library.

[^1]: Here's me citing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_cuisine#cite_note-Henze-2" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> again.

[^2]: I've seen this as _wot_ and _wat_. The recipe I used for the _doro_ spelt it _wat_, but our author this week spelt it _wot_, so I decided to go with her spelling herein.

[^3]: It's not traditional, but here I'm using the blend of lentils I keep on hand. My favorite: 25% masoor dal (red lentils), 25% moong dal (mung beans), and 50% chana dal (chickpeas).

[^4]: If you were curious, 1 cup of onion paste took 1 large onion plus 1 very small onion.

[^5]: Tsehai recommends doing this separately, in a large batch, and freezing the caramelized onion paste.
