Ethiopian Feast: Yemisir Wot (Berbere Lentils)
This just might be my favorite Ethiopian dish!
They’re all good, but this one makes use of that amazing Berbere spice blend, and is both satisfyingly warming, and amazingly tasty!
The dish gets its flavor, and deep red color from an entire half cup of the berbere. It sounds like a ton, but it is what makes this dish, so unique and addictive. You get a bit of heat from the ground chiles, warmth from cardamom, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg, and a lovely sweetness from the paprika.
This is the third of six recipes in my recent Ethiopian Feast series:
I know I just said that I think this one is my favorite, but it’s also just really amazing because of how it plays along with the other dishes. They all bring different elements to the table, and when eaten together, its truly sublime! Make sure you have lots of Injera on hand for this one š
I should mention that typically this dish is very spicy, but that’s dependent on how spicy your Berbere is or is not. My Berbere is not really that spicy at all (despite the fact it has a ton of dried chilies in it), so this particular version of Yemisir Wot is not that hot. However, if you are using a store-bought Berbere, taste it first, and adjust the amount as necessary!
PrintYemisir Wot (Berbere Lentils)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2 small to medium yellow onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, pureed
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and pureed
- 1/2 cup berbere spice
- 1 cup dried red lentils, washed
- 3 cups water
- kosher salt, to taste
Directions:
- In a large dutch oven, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, ginger, and berbere, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add in the lentils and cook for 1 minute more. Add in the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 30-45 minutes until thick and the the lentils have broken down a bit. Season, to taste, with salt.
recipe slightly adapted from here
I’m a huge fan of lentils, so I make sure to order them whenever I’m at an Ethiopian restaurant (or Indian, too, for that matter). I’ve never made any type of Ethiopian dish at home, though, so this is going on my to-try list. It looks delightful!
Honestly, it’s so much simpler than I would have imagined!
Are you sure about that? The 1/2 C berbere spice? That measurement for such a strong spice blend is not going to work out. Most other Ethiopian lentil recipes call for a tablespoon or two.
I am positive lol
I love ethiopian food and am really looking forward to trying your recipes.
I have a quick question though. Forgive me because I have NEVER tried to make ethiopian food before. Do you really mean to specify half a cup of the berbere spice blend? That sounds like a huge amount, especially compared with only 1 cup of lentils. I just thought I’d check with you first – many thanks!
Hi Willy! Yep, it is a huge amount, but that is correct š
Rachael! Thank you for your recipes! I’ve been trying to cut most of the meat out of my diet, and your page is amazing with all the vegan recipes! I’m especially happy with the Ethiopian Feast! I’ve made Dora Wot in the past and really loved it, so now I am happy for a vegan replacement that uses the berbere blend I made! Thank you!
Katie, I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipes! I hope to return to blogging, with more vegan recipes soon!
[…] ever since I made my Ethiopian Feast, Iāve been drooling over the Berbere Lentils that I made. I knew I wanted to make another heavily-spiced lentil dish, but wanted some […]
[…] Berbere Lentils […]
Thank you for those fantastic recipes! I made the berbere lentils, yellow split peas and also the green salad for dinner and all of them were delicious. There is an Ethiopian take away right where I live and I can honestly say that I couldn’t taste a difference, but your version is a lot more student budget friendly š I put a picture on instagram and mentioned you if you want to check it out. Thank you!
This recipe had way too much spice for me. I added slightly less than half a cup of berebere as I was weary and the dish came out so hot, my nose instantly started running and I could barely breathe. I added a ton of yogurt and it didn’t diminish the heat at all. It could just be that my berebere blend has a higher content of cayenne than others. If it hadn’t been so hot, I think the flavor would have been good. I wound up having to dump the whole thing but now I’ll know for next time.
Could you please tell us what’s in your berbere and/ or where you got it. I own 3 different berbere blends (one from a local African food market, one from Penzey’s Spices, and one from Kalustyan’s in NYC) and you simply cannot use more than a tablespoon or two of any of them. Your berbere seems unusually weak, and I’d be really careful asking everyone to put a half cup into their lentils. This is the sort of move that’ll turn people off from ever trying Ethiopian food more than once.
The Berbere I used is the same one I have a recipe for here on my blog, and linked to in the article and the recipe. It’s very important to adjust the recipe if you are not using this exact blend!
This was good, but I wish I would have used a little less Berber spice. I think it was way too much.
Thank you for the great recipe. I made it this morning. My berbere was made by a friend from Ethiopia and 1/2 cup is very spicy, but that’s what makes it good. I will test the recipe out on her at work.
Keep up the great work.
Ah yes, the measurements should be adjusted for other versions or berbere, but if you can handle the heat, by all means! Haha
I made this recipe and 1/2 cup of the spice was entirely too much & overpowering. That spice amount has to be incorrect as the recipe is completely inedible.
Hi Robin, as I noted in the post the spice level of the finished dish will depend on the exact Berbere blend you are using. “My Berbere is not really that spicy at all (despite the fact it has a ton of dried chilies in it), so this particular version of Yemisir Wot is not that hot. However, if you are using a store-bought Berbere, taste it first, and adjust the amount as necessary!”
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Definitely only needed 2 tablespoons. Iām glad I read the reviews if not it would have been a waste of food! But otherwise it was delish š
It depends on your berbere š
Did you really mean 1/2 cup berbere?!?!?!?
Yes, please read entire post.