"How To: Miser Wot( Lentil Stew)" By Bezawit A

Each year my family participates in Tsom(The Great Fast/ Lent). Tsom is a 55 day fast in which we stay away from all food that contains animal products. During this time we normally eat traditional Ethiopian vegan cuisine. Today, I am going to explain how to make one of my favorite Ethiopian Tsom and vegan friendly dishes, a lentil stew called “Miser Wot”, pronounced (Misr-whut). If you follow the recipe correctly it should only take about 1 hour to make, including prep time. Ok, now let’s get started with what you’ll need!

(photo taken by Daniel Warshaw)

Ingredients:

●      1 cup of lentils ( you may use red lentils if you would like it to be spicy)

●      1 cup of water

●      Large spoon (preferably a wooden spoon)

●      2 onions

●      2 tomatoes

●      ½ cup of olive oil

●      2 tablespoons of Berbere ( Ethiopian spice)

●      Kosher salt

●      Injera ( Ethiopian flatbread)

Instructions:

1. First rinse out your lentils until they are clean. Once your lentils are clean place them in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 20-30 minutes. You want to rinse your lentils to make sure that there is no debris or dirt on them.
2. While your lentils soak in the water you can now cut up your onions and tomatoes. Your tomatoes need to be cored and chopped. As for your onions, make sure they are finely diced. By cutting your onions and tomatoes now you are not only prepping for later, but also adding flavor to our mixture.

Pro Tip: The finer you cut your onions and tomatoes the more uniform your stew will be.

3. Next, take a large pan and heat it over your stove, on medium heat. Then, add your ½ cup of olive oil. Mix the oil around the pot for about 5 minutes (do not let the oil come to a boil).
4. Now you can add your Berbere. Berbere is very spicy so be cautious of how much you add to your mixture. Berebere is a popular spice and is added to almost all our dishes it gives a lot of flavor.

Pro Tip: Don’t add too much or else your tongue will burn!

5. Now you can add your lentils. You want to make sure you are continuously stirring the pot so that the mixture doesn't get too clumpy. If your Miser is too clumpy it will be hard to grab with the injera, which what you’ll be eating the Miser with.
6. After about 10 minutes of mixing the lentils you can add your tomatoes and onions. Continue mixing.
7. Now add your salt.  There’s no limitation when it comes to how much salt you want to add. I normally add around 2-3 teaspoons depending on how much I’m making.

Pro Tip: If you accidentally add too much salt, just add more water and mix well!

8. Now you can let the mixture sit, place a cover over the pan and let it simmer for 30-45 minutes. Be sure to check on your Miser every 5 to 10 minutes and give it a stir. After 30 minutes you can switch the fire on low heat.

Pro Tip: If you want the Miser to have a thinner consistency, add more water to the pan.

Now your Miser Wot is ready! This dish is normally served warm, with a plate of injera. It can be eaten for breakfast,lunch, or dinner!Injera is an Ethiopian flatbread made with Teff flour we serve with every dish, in place of utensils. If you really want to serve this dish traditionally you can lay it on a huge tray so the everyone can eat it all together. Enjoy!