When we lived in Bloomington, Indiana in the early 90s, there was an Ethiopian restaurant called Ashenda, that offered me my first taste of Ethiopian food. I was hooked from my very first bite, and I’ve been trying to recreate the experience any way I can since then. From the smell of simmering wat (meat stew) to the tangy, spongy injera (flatbread) that serves as an edible spoon, I love everything about it. I even used to make my own spice mix (Berbere) to keep in the freezer, but now get it through Penzeys Spices. My recipes are adapted from Extending the Table, by Joetta Handrich Schlabach. I use available ingredients, and I have backed the spice way down. This time, I even split a bit off into another pan to further reduce the spice for Ben’s benefit.
Injera (Ethiopian Flatbread)
3 cups flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal or masa harina
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups warm water
Mix all ingredients and let rest in large bowl, covered, for an hour or longer, until batter rises and becomes stretchy. It can sit as long as 3-6 hours. When ready, stir batter if liquid has settled on bottom. Then whip in blender, 2 cups of batter at a time, thinning it with 1/2 – 3/4 cup water. Batter will be quite thin.
Cook in nonstick frypan without oil over medium or medium-high heat. Use 1/2 cup of batter per injera for 12-inch pan or 1/3 cup of batter per injera for 10-inch pan. Pour batter in heated pan and quickly swirl pan to spread batter as thin as possible. Batter should be no thicker than 1/8 inch. Do not turn. Injera does not easily stick or burn. It will rise slightly in the pan, and is cooked through when bubbles appear all over the top. Lay injera on a clean towel for a minute or two, then stack in covered dish to keep warm. Finished injera will be thicker than a crepe, but thinner than a pancake.
To serve, overlap a few injera on large platter and place stews on top, so that each person can use a piece of injera to scoop up bites of the stew. Or (in this age of social distancing) lay 1 injera on each dinner plate, and ladle stew servings on top. Additional injera can be rolled or folded in quarters to use for scooping up the stew.
Makes 20 12-inch injeras.
Chicken Wat
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger root, grated or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-2 tablespoons Berbere* (be careful – it’s hot)
1/4 cup paprika
1/2 cup water
Sprinkle lemon juice and salt over chicken pieces and let stand while preparing the other ingredients.
In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add onions, garlic and ginger, and cook on low heat until onions are soft, but not browned. Add fenugreek, cardamom, nutmeg, Berbere and paprika, stirring over low heat 2-3 minutes. Pour in 1/2 cup water, and bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add chicken to sauce, turning pieces to coat. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until chicken is tender, about 45 minutes, turning once or twice to coat chicken evenly. If it becomes too dry, add a little water. Sauce should be consistency of heavy cream. Serve with injera.
*This spice mix has a dozen spices in it. If you can’t buy it, but want to make this dish, let me know, and I’ll include the recipe.
