Ethiopia is a country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. Ethiopia’s population is highly diverse, containing over 80 different ethnic groups, the four largest of which are the Oromo, Amhara, Somali and Tigrayans. Ethiopian cuisine characteristically consists of vegetables and often very spicy meat dishes.
Kik Alicha, an Ethiopian dish
Kik Alicha is an Ethiopian dish made from yellow split peas. In addition to split peas, the dish contains spices such as turmeric, ginger and garlic. Kik Alicha is frequently served with injera but is also excellent accompanied by rice. Here’s how to prepare it.
Time: 2 hours
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 250g dried yellow split peas soaked overnight or 2 hours, • 200ml of water, oil to taste,
- 1 chopped red onion,
- 1 clove minced garlic, minced ginger,
- 4 teaspoons turmeric powder,
- Salt and Pepper to Taste.
As a variant, you can add a teaspoon of berbere for a stronger flavour.
Preparation
Soak the split peas overnight or for at least 2 hours in warm water, drain and rinse. In a large pan, combine the oil, chopped onions, ginger and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally. Add the turmeric and mix well. At this point, add the peas, season with salt and pepper and pour in the water a little at a time while stirring. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 35-45 minutes or until peas have softened to desired consistency.
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Lentil Samosas, the Ethiopian way
Today we introduce you to the recipe for making a delicious Ethiopian dish: lentil samosas. The secret is the mixture of spices such as ginger, garlic, cinnamon and cardamom that flavour the filling of these crunchy parcels. Here’s how to prepare them.
Time: 2 hours
Serves: 10
Ingredients:
- 250 g butter,
• 2 garlic cloves, - 1 shallot,
- a piece of sliced fresh ginger,
- cinnamon to taste,
- 4 cardamom pods,
- 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds,
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds,
- 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns,
- 1 tablespoon of berbere
- 1 bay leaf,
- 150 g of lentils,
- 1 onion finely chopped,
- 1 teaspoon of ginger paste,
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 300 ml of vegetable broth,
- Salt to taste.,
- 250 g 00 flour,
- 100 ml of water
Preparation
Place the ingredients for the clarified butter in a pan (butter, garlic, shallots, a piece of sliced fresh ginger, cinnamon, cardamom pods, cumin, coriander, black peppercorns, berbere, 1 bay leaf) and cook over very low heat for 20 minutes. Once it starts to caramelize, remove from the heat and filter the mixture with a cloth or coffee filter into a bowl. To prepare the lentil filling, heat 2 tablespoons of clarified butter in a pan and fry the diced onion and berbere over low heat.
Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for another minute. At this point, rinse the lentils and add them to the pan with 300 ml of broth. Leave to simmer for about 1 hour. Once ready, transfer the mixture to a baking tray or plate to cool quickly.
Place flour, water and salt in a bowl, along with 2 tablespoons of clarified butter and mix with a fork until the dough begins to come together. Knead for 5 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth for half an hour.
Divide the dough into 30g balls. Shaping a ball of dough, form a circle about 2 mm thick, then cut it in half. Add 1 teaspoon of filling to the centre of each semicircle. Bring the bottom corner up over the filling to cover, then fold the top corner down to create a triangle.
Join the open edges of the dough together, using a little water to seal. Repeat the process until you get about twenty samosas.
To fry, preheat a pan with oil. Fry the samosas in batches until golden brown. Drain them on kitchen paper. Enjoy them hot or at room temperature.