Misir Wat is a popular Ethiopian red lentil stew. It’s tasty, nutritious, vegetarian friendly and very easy to make at home. Serve it with injera bread for an authentic experience, or it’s equally good with rice.
Lentils are one of those foods that are there, but I never really gave much thought to. Then Alpana introduced me to Indian Yellow Dal, and I realized how tasty they could be. Later on, we made Moroccan Harira, which is another fantastic lentil dish.
Today we’re presenting our version of Misir Wat, another one of the world’s most iconic lentil dishes.
Ingredients
- Red lentils – These dried split peas are the heart of the dish.
- Niter kibbeh – This is a spiced clarified butter that’s very common in Ethiopian cuisine. You can order it online, or make our homemade niter kibbeh.
- Berbere – An east African spice blend. Again, we have a recipe for homemade berbere.
- Onion – Red.
- Aromatics – Fresh ginger and garlic.
- Tomato – Both fresh and paste.
- Broth – You can use chicken broth, but this time I used vegetable broth for our vegetarian readers.
Misir Wat Recipe
1. Sauté aromatics: Heat pot over medium high heat. Add niter kibbeh, and once melted, add in diced onion and sauté for 5-8 minutes, until softened. Stir in garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds.
2. Tomato and seasoning: Add diced tomato, tomato paste, berbere seasoning and water. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes.
3. Simmer: Stir in lentils and chicken broth. Bring to a low simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are softened (about 30-40 minutes).
4. Finalize: Stir in remaining tablespoon of niter kibbeh. Taste and adjust for salt.
Storage and Reheating
Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Simply reheat in a pan over medium heat on stovetop.
Serving Suggestions
In Ethiopia, their foods are typically eaten with injera, a type of flatbread with a sour flavor. It is rather difficult to make, requiring several days of fermentation. I recommend getting it from a nearby Ethiopian restaurant, or if you don’t have one locally, find one online that ships (yes, I have done this).
They often serve a number of dishes together. Some other great Ethiopian dishes you can serve along with misir wat are Doro Wat (chicken stew) and Awaze Tibs (beef tips).
Now, of course, you don’t have to serve this with injera. We sometimes serve it with rice or even regular sliced bread.
Give your meatless night a very interesting makeover with these African spiced lentils. It’s a very delicious dish, and I think you’ll be coming back to it.
Misir Wat, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
More great bean and legume recipes:
Great Northern Beans
Marry Me Chickpeas
Cuban Black Beans
Spanish Butter Beans
Gigantes Plaki
Peruvian Beans
Habichuelas Guisadas
Red Beans and Rice
Misir Wat (Ethiopian Lentil Stew)
Misir Wat is a popular Ethiopian lentil stew. Serve it with injera bread for an authentic experience, or it's equally good with rice.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons niter kibbeh, divided
- 1 red onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons berbere seasoning
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 2.5 cups vegetable broth
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Heat pot over medium high heat. Add niter kibbeh, and once melted, add in diced onion and sauté for 5-8 minutes, until softened. Stir in garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add diced tomato, tomato paste, berbere seasoning and water. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in lentils and chicken broth. Bring to a low simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are softened (about 30-40 minutes).
- Stir in remaining tablespoon of niter kibbeh. Taste and adjust for salt.
- Serve with injera bread or rice.
Notes
- In absence of niter kibbeh, you can use ghee or butter. The flavor will not be as authentic, but still good.
- This version is vegetarian, but you can use chicken broth in place of vegetable broth.
- Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in a pan on stovetop over medium heat.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 101Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 7mgSodium 833mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 4gSugar 4gProtein 7g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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