Ethiopian Week

The first time I ever had Ethiopian food I was on my honeymoon with my wife in Kansas City.  It was this little hole-in-the-wall place called the Blue Nile.  I’m pretty sure it was on 43rd street, but time has made that detail nebulous.  What I do remember is the food.  It was a revelation.  The spice.  The overwhelming heat, that somehow didn’t drown out the flavors of the stews and spices.  Every time I took a bite I had this almost orgasmic sensation go from my mouth to my brain.  If you’re a foodie, you understand.

When I looked in my young bride’s eyes I could see that she was having a similar experience.  I’m sure we did other things on that trip.  I know we went to the museum.  But what I really remember is eating some amazing food with a very beautiful young woman I was lucky enough to have in my life.

So I’ve been trying to recreate what I experienced ever since.  It’s relatively easy to find Thai food where I live.  You can even find Vietnamese, or Indian, if you go a little out of your way.  But Ethiopian?  We’re kind of on our own for that one.

The flavor/spice palette of Ethiopian is broadly similar to Indian food, but not quite the same.  There are differences.  This week I’ll be walking you through a fairly simple set of dishes and techniques that will allow you to cook some very yummy food in your own kitchen.  I’ve kind of had to figure this out on my own.  That’s ok.  I’ll let you in on the stuff I’ve figured out.

I’ll post a recipe for niter kebbeh, a spiced butter that is used in almost everything, berebere, the ubiquitous spice mixture, doro wat, a red onion based chicken stew, a greens and potatos dish, a split pee puree, an eggplant puree, and a spiced cabbage dish.  And finally, I’ll have a recipe for making a fairly close approximation of injera, a kind of sourdough flatbread that everything is served on and eaten with.

I hope you enjoy.

Ethiopian Week