Misir wot is a rich and spicy Ethiopian dish made with red lentils. It is very simple and easy to prepare, though the cooking time for lentils means that it is not terribly fast. The berbere spice blend provides the quintessential deep flavor and warm heat of Ethiopian food. Using injera bread to eat with your hands can make dinner a lot of fun. For romantics, sharing the same plate makes dinner even more intimate.

A bowl of misir wot in the foreground and a plate of rolled injera in the background

Although you can make berbere and injera, I recommend a visit to your local Ethiopian shop for both. Injera is made by fermenting teff flour for multiple days before pouring it out on a skillet like a crepe. Unless you plan your meals days in advance, skip homemade and buy from the store. Berbere is a complex spice blend with a couple of ingredients that aren’t sold at your local grocer. While fresh spice blends are best, this one is probably not worth the effort.

This recipe is based on one from Saveur, though the butter is omitted to make this recipe vegan and healthy. I also prefer the flavor of red onions to yellow onions, and it is what I happened to have on hand. I further deviated from the recipe by using my cast iron skillet as it is excellent for sautéing foods. Using the cast iron skillet required a little more water to cook the lentils fully, presumably due to evaporation.

A cast iron pan of diced onions after being steam sauteéd

I browned the onions by steam sautéing in 1/4 cup vegetable stock and 1/2 tsp. of canola oil, though you can omit the oil entirely. Notice how the onions have cooked and the liquid has evaporated. The onions aren’t caramelized, but have turned a golden brown. At this point I added the garlic and 1/4 cup vegetable stock to cook the garlic.

Misir wot without final seasoning

Cooking the lentils took about 45 minutes of simmering. The lentils are fully cooked and the stew is thick enough that it does not run. I needed to add an extra cup of water after about 30 minutes to continue to cook the lentils without burning everything. This probably occurred because the cast iron pan has more surface area for evaporation than a medium sauce pan.

Misir wot in the cast iron pan

The final product has another tablespoon of berbere seasoning and a fair bit of salt. I added about one to one and a half teaspoons of salt. Adding berbere after cooking brings the misir wot to a final, delightful red color.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 1/2 large red onion or 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. berbere spice blend
  • 1 small tomato, cored and chopped
  • 1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
  • 4 water
  • salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Rinse the lentils under cold water and set aside.
  2. Heat 1/4 cup of water in a cast iron skillet or medium sauce pan.
  3. Add the onions and steam sauté until golden brown.
  4. Add another 1/4 cup of water and the garlic; steam sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  5. Add 4 cups water, rinsed lentils, tomato, and 1 Tbsp. berbere.
  6. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 to 45 minutes. Check that the lentils are fully cooked and that the misir wot has thickened.
  7. Remove from heat. Stir in another 1 Tbsp. of berbere and salt to taste.