Mesir Wat – Ethiopian Lentils with Berbere Spice

Wat (also wet or wot), meaning a thick stew, is a mainstay dish in traditional Ethiopian cuisine. There are many different variations, each named according to their main ingredient. Vegetarian versions of wat often feature Mesir (lentils) or kik (split peas).

When cooked red lentils are very soft and mushy, which makes them perfect consistency for scooping up with Injera. Injera is an Ethiopian sourdough flatbread that the various dishes are plattered on. It's also used to scoop up the food instead of utensils.

That's right Ethiopian cuisine is eaten with your hands!

It may sound odd or unappealing, but it's actually kind of fun to eat in such a primitive way.

Ethiopian dishes are often very spicy. Berbere is the spice blend that gives this dish a little bit of heat. See my recipe for Berbere (Ethiopian Spice). If you like it very spicy, you’ll want to make it two, or even three tablespoons. For a milder wat, keep the berbere to just a half to one tablespoon.

This spicy Mesir Wat also goes great paired with my Ye’abesha Gomen aka Ethiopian Collard Greens and my Tikil Gomen aka Lightly Spiced Potatoes and Cabbage.

Want to scoop up the Mesir Wat with something besides Injera? Try using corn tortillas, or my preferred flour-free option: Baked Oil-Free Fries – Potatoes That Actually Promote Weight-Loss.

However you want to serve it, Mesir Wat is a simple, yet flavor-packed way to get your protein! Enjoy!

Mesir Wat

By Chef Katie Mae

Makes about 4­ servings | Ready in 10–30 minutes | Stores 1 week in fridge

INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion, finely diced (6 oz)
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1-inch piece of ginger, minced
• ½­–3 tablespoons Berbere Spice
• *4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water*
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 1½ cups red or orange lentils

DIRECTIONS

1. Add onion, garlic, ginger, and berbere spice to a medium-size pot over medium heat, cover and sauté for a few minutes until the onions are translucent. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
2. Add the broth, vinegar, and red lentils to the pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and cooked to your liking.
3. The consistency should be wet and creamy, but not soupy—perfect for dipping baked potato wedges or the traditional starch, injera, a sourdough flatbread made from teff.

CHEF'S NOTES

Add more or less of the spice depending on how spicy you want the lentils to be.

The vegetable broth will add more savory flavor, but water is a great choice as well. If I don’t have a homemade salt-free vegetable broth available than I just use water.

To cook these lentils in the Instant Pot, follow step 1 using the sauté mode. For step 2, turn it to manual and set the time to just 1 minute and do a manual release. Red and orange lentils cook very fast in the pressure cooker.