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Misir wot
ምስር ወጥ (misir wet)
Whole red lentils cooked slowly into a thick stew in a sauce of soft onion, garlic, ginger, tomato and plenty of berbere, finished with the warm spice blend mekelesha. An Ethiopian vegan staple, in Helen Mebrate's recipe for The Vegan Society.
- Servings
- 4
- Preparation
- 15 min
- Cooking
- 1 h 10
- Resting
- 5 min
- Total
- 1 h 30
- Difficulty
- Easy
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed pot
- Kettle for hot water
Ingredients
Optional spices
Method
Put the onion in a heavy pot over a medium heat with a small dash of hot water and cook, stirring now and then, until soft and translucent.
Why Cooking the onion first without oil breaks it down completely; in Ethiopian stews the onion melts into the sauce.
Timer · 10 min10:00Add the oil and fry the onion for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 2 minutes more, until fragrant.
Timer · 4 min4:00Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, letting it darken slightly.
Timer · 2 min2:00Add the berbere, and the tikur qimmem if using, and fry for a minute with a splash of hot water so the spices do not burn.
Timer · 1 min1:00Add the canned tomatoes and crumble in the stock cube. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20–30 minutes, until the raw spice smell has gone.
Why Mebrate gives the traditional sign: the berbere no longer makes you sneeze.
Timer · 25 min25:00Add the lentils with a small splash of hot water and let them absorb it. Keep adding a little hot water at a time over a medium-low heat, letting it cook down each time and watching that nothing catches.
Why Adding water little by little makes a thick stew, not a soup. Hot water keeps the pot at a steady temperature.
Timer · 20 min20:00When the lentils are 80–90 % cooked, tender but still holding their shape, stir in the mekelesha if using. Taste and adjust the salt.
Turn off the heat and leave for a few minutes; the residual heat finishes the lentils.
Timer · 5 min5:00
To drink & serve with
- Injera
Serve hot with injera, rice or any flatbread, as the source suggests.
Substitutions
- Whole red lentils → Split red lentils, as the source allows, but they cook much faster and turn to purée easily: stop as soon as they are tender.
- Stock cube → Hot water and a little extra salt (avoids celery).
Common mistakes
- Rushing the sauce: berbere that is not cooked long enough tastes harsh and raw.
- Adding all the water at once: the lentils boil into soup.
- Letting the bottom catch: stir and add water in small amounts.
Storage & reheating
Mebrate says it is often better the next day and freezes well; thaw in the fridge the day before. Refrigerate within 2 hours, eat within 2 days, reheat until steaming hot.
Safety
May contain celery (most stock cubes); check the label. Berbere contains hot chilli.
Allergens
Celery
Check labels: stock, bacon and sauces can contain further allergens.
Dietary
vegan
A lentil wot
Onion first, berbere long, lentils slowly
The onion starts in a dry pot with a dash of hot water so it breaks down before any oil goes in. Tomato paste and berbere are fried, then simmered with canned tomatoes for 20–30 minutes until the spice loses its raw edge. Mebrate recommends whole red lentils, which keep their texture; they are added to the sauce with small splashes of hot water so the dish stays a stew. Mekelesha, a blend of warm spices, goes in near the end.
