Ethiopian Lentil-Okra Stew

Okra seems like a Southern US food, but lentils and okra are also staples in Ethiopian cooking.

 Let me tell you about this richly-flavored Ethiopian stew. My vegan friend lent me her copy of Papa Tofu Loves Ethiopian Food, in which the writer provides recipes for dozens of traditional Ethiopian dishes with substitutions for vegan and gluten-free eating.

I didn't know much about Ethiopia, other than what I remember of the horrific droughts and starvation back in the 1980s. I learned that Ethiopia is on the horn of Africa, right below the Middle Eastern countries and the Red Sea. While we won't visit Africa anytime soon, we can still take a food vacation there.

Thanks, Wikipedia, for this photo!

Some of the earliest human remains have been found in this country, and it was one of the most powerful countries in the world around 200 A.D. A culture this old must surely know a thing or two about cooking good food, and this lentil-okra stew is amazing. It's also cheap, gluten-free and vegan, low in fat and cholesterol, and easy to prepare.

Ingredients

For the berbere paste:

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp oil
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

For the Ethiopian lentil-okra soup:

1 cup red lentils
3 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh okra, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup berbere paste

Instructions

To make the Berbere paste:
Saute the garlic, ginger, and onion in the oil until tender. Transfer to a blender or food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend into a thick paste.


For the lentil stew:
Rinse the lentils and place them in a medium saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered until the lentils are tender. Skim off any foam that rises in the pot. Drain the lentils and set them aside.

Place the tomatoes and berbere paste in the pot and simmer until they soften and become a puree. YOu can use an immersion blender to make the sauce an even texture, if desired. Stir in the okra, vegetable broth, and lentils, and simmer until the okra is just tender and the sauce is thickened, about 30 minutes.

Serve over rice or with flatbreads such as naan, pita, or Ethiopian injera bread.

Serves 4.

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Sun-Dried Tomato Harissa (Tunisian Chili Sauce)

Harissa is a hot pepper sauce from Tunisia, the northern-most country in North Africa with both a lovely Mediterranean coastline and the tip of the Sahara desert. This pepper paste can contain many different ingredients, but the base is a mixture of mild and spicy peppers with oil, caraway, cumin, coriander, and garlic.

Map of Northern Africa - Tunisia is colored orange

Tunisia has been a crossroads of many cultures, the Saharan Berbers, the ancient Romans, the Middle Eastern Muslims. The food most resembles other North African and Arabian dishes, with lots of goat and lamb, spicy tomato sauces, almonds, lentils, dates, and olives. If you love couscous, thank the Tunisians - it might be called their national dish.

Saharan oasis in Tunisia

The city of Sousse, eastern Tunisia

Tunisian Beach

Tunisia is definitely on our list of places to visit in our lifetime, for sure.

Now let me tell you about harissa! A small jar of harissa in your refrigerator is great for dressing up steamed vegetables or sandwiches, dropping into a stew or a stir-fry, spreading warm on toasted bread or pita, or adding to a meat marinade. Oh yeah, it's also tasty stirred into yogurt as a dip for fresh veggies. We included Middle Eastern ingredients of sun-dried tomatoes and mint, which adds a fresh, tangy dimension. 

We bet that harissa may make you cheat on sriracha sauce, but we don't blame you if you do.

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz cayenne or arbol peppers
4 oz pasilla or ancho peppers
4 oz sun-dried tomatoes
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 tsp fresh mint, chopped
2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for storing
1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

Remove the stems from the peppers and shake out the seeds. Place them in a bowl with the tomatoes, and cover with boiling water. Soak for 15 minutes. Drain, retaining the water.

In a food processor combine chili peppers, garlic, salt, and olive oil. Blend, stirring frequently, and add a little of the water if the paste becomes too stiff. When well combined, add the remaining spices and blend to form a smooth paste.

Place in an airtight container and cover it with a layer of olive oil to keep it fresh. It will keep about 1 month in the refrigerator.

Makes about 1 cup.

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Chicken Peanut Soup (Ghanian Nkate Nkwan, Nkatenkwan, Nkate Nkwanin)

This chicken stew in peanut sauce sounds like something you might find in a Thai restaurant, where they tend to use peanuts in main dishes. In fact, this stew was taught to my family by our adopted sisters from Ghana. It's a traditional dish there and is super-easy to make, and contains no unusual ingredients.

My parents are amazing humanitarians who have worked for social justice and world peace for decades. Early on, they realized they didn't know much about the often troubled African continent, so they set themselves on a self-study program to learn all they could about the countries of Africa. They believe that helping others starts with education and respect. Today, they know more about the social and political facts in Africa than some citizens of those countries.

About five years ago, Mom and Dad decided they wanted to be a support system for African students studying at the university at Bowling Green, Ohio. They realized how difficult it is for young adults to live nearly halfway across the world from their families and they wanted to be a second family.

That is how Elizabeth and Josephine Effah came into our lives. They are students from Ghana who were studying public health and policy. They are smart, kind, gorgeous, funny, and hard-working young ladies who have become part of our family. They've celebrated holidays and family reunions with us, and Mom and Dad have attended their graduations and other special events. We are truly blessed to have widened our family with new sisters. You can't have too many sisters, am I right?

Elizabeth, Josephine, and her son Myron

Elizabeth sent me this recipe recently. It is a traditional Ghanaian recipe that can vary widely, though the core ingredients of peanuts, chicken, tomatoes, peppers, and onions remains the same. It is spicy-hot and creamy all at the same time.

While researching the recipe, Joe and I learned that the name varies (Nkate Nkwan, Nkatenkwan, Nkate Nkwanin, and other variations). Peanuts are sometimes called "groundnuts" in Ghana. A different tuber called bambara was used centuries ago, but peanuts imported from South America by the Portuguese began to replace those groundnuts.

If you were in Africa, this stew might be served to you with the chicken bones, which you might like to gnaw for those tasty little bits that cling to the bones. You might also get some dumplings or a mound of a mashed potato-like substance; these are called fufu, made of pounded yams, cassava roots, or green plantains. Fufu is common in many central and west African countries. Through colonial slave trade and emigration, it has migrated over to the Caribbean and Central American countries as mofongo and other specialties. In west Africa, this peanut stew might also be served over rice, or with floating balls of sticky rice.

Effah Chicken Peanut Soup

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped finely
1 green pepper (or orange or red) chopped finely
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
6 cups of water
16 oz. of natural chunky peanut butter (no sugar)
1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce

Directions

Mix peanut butter with 4 cups of water and blend with whisk. Begin cooking on low heat, stirring often.  Meanwhile, in a fry pan, mix chicken, onions, and peppers. Cook until chicken is cooked through.  Add to peanut mixture with seasonings and some salt. Add tomato sauce and two more cups of water. Cook with frequent stirring for an hour on low heat. Do not cover. Some like it over rice. It is good without chicken, too.

Serves 4-6.

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Chutney-Cola Grilled Ribs

This easy and sweet-sour marinade comes from a South African blogger, Lotta Madness, who wrote about her trip back home and the barbeque, or braai, that her family had at Christmastime. I love reading her blog for the gorgeous African pictures and her take on South African culture. Fun reading! I'd love to take a trip to Africa.

We didn't have the South African brand of peach chutney that she used, Mrs. Ball's, so we used an Indian sweet mango chutney. Up above, the ribs have just come out of the oven and are ready to crisp a little on the grill. I could eat this BBQ sauce with a spoon.

Maybe I did. I'm not telling.

Ingredients

1/2 cup ketchup
2/3 cup mango or peach chutney
1 cup Coca Cola
1 (1 oz) packet brown onion soup powder or 2 tbsp beef bouillon granules
2.5 lbs pork ribs (we used country-style ribs, since they have a lot of meat and less bone)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Stir together the ketchup, chutney, cola, and onion soup powder. Place the ribs in a pan with a lid and pour half of the chutney sauce over the ribs. Turn to coat the ribs. Place in the oven and cook for 1 hour.

Preheat the grill to medium heat. Place the ribs on the grill and cook for 15 minutes longer, turning once and brushing on the rest of the chutney sauce every 5 minutes. Pass any leftover sauce with the grilled ribs.

Serves 3-4.

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Moroccan Eggplant and Chickpea Stew

When Angela's parents came to visit last weekend, they brought a whole truckful of vegetables from their farm in Ohio.

They grow everything organically on their five acres, and whatever they don't eat or preserve is taken to the local food bank. This produce might be the only fresh food the poor in their area may eat.

Among the bounty they brought us was a pair of glossy, plump eggplants. We had some leftover saffron/curry rice, so Angela came up with a rich and spicy stew that complemented the rice. If you don't have leftover rice, this stew is great on its own, or over couscous, pasta, or mashed potatoes. This stew is vegan and gluten-free, and low in fat and calories. Combining a legume (the chickpeas) and a grain (the corn) also makes a complete protein.

Moroccan Eggplant and Chickpea Stew

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 eggplant, cubed (3-4 cups)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup vegetable broth
1 15-oz can chick peas (garbanzo beans)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tbsp dried)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (or 3 tbsp dried)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet with the red pepper. Add the eggplant and saute for 5 minutes. Add the onion, pepper, and garlic and saute until soft. Pour in the rest of the ingredients. Bring the stew to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, covered. The stew is ready when the eggplant is tender.

Serves 4-6

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