Healthy Vegan Cooking From Ethiopia

The vegan diet is well developed in Ethiopian. This is because it is connected to the ancient Coptic orthodox religion that is practiced there by a great number of the population. The vegan diet is part of the religious fasts that occur 4 to 5 times a year. During those fasts no meat or animal products are allowed except for fish. So the vegan dishes are developed over centuries. There are various dishes all well seasoned and delicious to help with the lack of meat and dairy products during those periods.

As in many countries Ethiopian cuisine differ a great deal from region to region. But the most wide spread food eaten there is what Ethiopians call “Injera and wat.” Injera is slightly sour flat bread made of the teff grain. I have written about teff in my hub “Teff: An Ancient Grain.” I have also touched up on injera at that hub. The fermentation process when making injera takes about three days. Traditionally Injera is cooked on a flat ceramic or clay griddle. Injera is round and is about the size of a large pizza. It is thin and limp as in crepe though not quite as thin. Its distinctive characteristics is that it has many holes in it which gives it a sponge like quality.

Wat is stew that goes with the injera. There are many kinds of wat. Here in this hub I am concentrating on the vegan dishes. I am sure there are more than 30 traditional vegan dishes. Most of these dishes start with minced red onions that are sautéed in oil. The best oil to use for Ethiopian cooking is nugg oil. Nugg oil is extracted from the nugg seed. The nugg seeds are tiny black seeds that maybe indigenous to Ethiopia. I haven't seen it anywhere else. Olive oil is a good alternative. Minced garlic and ginger are also used in most dishes. You will also notice that jalapeño peppers and holy basil are added at the end of cooking to many of these dishes for additional flavor and garnish. Lots of legumes such as lentils, peas, chick peas and beans are used in cooking the vegan dishes.There are also vegetable dishes such as dishes made of greens called "yehabesha gommen" (Ethiopian greens). There are vegetable dishes made of carrots, green beans, and potatoes called yeatakelt wot.

Another dish very popular through out Ethiopia is the very inexpensive "shero wat." It is made of toasted split pea flour. It is very easy and quick to make and is also finger licking good.

There are vegan dishes you don't cook at all such as what is called "yesoof fetfet" and "yetelba fetfet". "Yesoof fetfet" is made of the milk of a seed called "soof".Soof is another seed I think might be indigenous to Ethiopia resembling sun flower seeds. the seed is grounded and mixed with water and sits in water for several hours. fresh sprig of rue is added as it is steeping. the the soof milk is strained, salt added and chilled. minced onions and jalapeno peppers are also added. you break up injera in small pieces and place it in the soof water and mix, let the injera soak the soof water and serve. Yeltelba fetfet is similar but is made of flax seeds. Telba in Amharic means flax. The flax is first slightly toasted over low heat and then grounded into powder. The powder is mixed with water and then small pieces of injera are steeped in it and served. Another dish that is served cold but require some cooking is what is Called "azefa." Azefa is a lentil salad. The only cooking you will do is to boil the lentil. After that it is a matter of mixing ingredients and chilling. I gave the recipe for "azefa" at the hub "Colon Cleansing With a Vegan Diet." All three taste great when chilled and is a great dish for hot summer days.

Ingredients

1 cup lentils (Any kind)

1 medium sized red onion minced

2 clove garlic minced

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

1/3 tsp turmeric

2 jalapeño peppers sliced in half and seeded

1 sprig of fresh holly basil with the flowers on.

½ tsp salt

4 tbsp of olive oil

3 cups of water

Directions

Wash and cook the lentils until soft.

Sauté the onions in the olive oil until translucent.

Cook the onion some more by adding water gradually.

add the rest of the water.

Mash the lentils with the back of a big spoon and add to the pot.

Add the garlic and ginger bring to boil and lower the heat to medium and cook for about 30 minutes.

Add the turmeric and salt, lower the heat further and simmer until the stew thickens.

Remove from heat and add the jalapeño peppers and the holly basil cover and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Serve with injera (Ethiopian flat bread) if you have it or else not to worry it is delicious with pita bread also.

Here is another colorful and tasty dish. It is called yeatakelte tebis wot. It means sauteed vegetable stew

Ingredients

3 medium sized carrots cut in julienne strips

2 cups green beans strings removed and cut into smaller sizes

2 medium sized potatoes cut in julienne strips

1 medium sized red onion cut in medium size strips

2 clove garlic minced

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

4 tbsp of olive oil

Salt and pepper to test

½ cup of water

2 jalapeño papers seeded and cut in half length wise

1 sprig fresh holy basil

Directions

Sauté carrot, green beans, and potatoes individually.

In a medium sized pot sauté the onions until translucent.

Add the green beans and cook for 3 to 5 minutes

Add the carrots garlic and ginger and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.

During this time while cooking the green beans and carrots keep adding little drops of water so it does not burn.

Finally add the potato cook for a minute or two. You don’t want the potato to soft or mushy.

Add salt and pepper.

Remove from heat and add the jalapeño peppers and the fresh holy basil.

Let it stand for 5 minutes and serve with injera or pita bread.

(Here I would like to add that more spices go into both these dish but these spices are not available except in Ethiopia. These spices are a hub on Ethiopian Spices and Spice Blends.

Ethiopian cuisine is very extensive. In this hub I barely scratched the surface of just the vegan dishes. The meat dishes can fill a book by itself. There are various breads from various regions. There are foods made of milk and dairy products. There are alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages. The list is endless. I hope you enjoyed reading this hub and maybe even try the recipes I have given.

Your comments and feedback is appreciated. Did you find this hub interesting and informative? Let me know and give it a rate. Thank you.