Figs with Almonds and Cranberries

I asked Adrian if he'd like to have Vegan Coconut Chocolate Pudding or something Ethiopian for dessert. I didn't think he'd choose the latter given his preference for western sweets. A good round up for our first Ethiopian night though.

The original recipe uses prunes and raisins. I didn't want to buy them since I figured figs and dried cranberries might well be substitutes. I liked the complex sweet and tartness of the fruit and nut compote. Adrian had this ingenious idea of serving it with dark chocolate. It was a hit.

Ingredients:
(make 2 servings)

• 4 dried figs, chopped
• a handful of whole almond
• a handful of dried cranberries
• 2 whole cloves
• Natural brown sugar
• pinches of ground cinnamon
• 2 TB apple cider vinegar
• 1 Cup water
  

1. In a bowl, soak dried fig in boiling water for 10 - 15 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, soak whole almonds in boiling water for 30 minutes.
3. Mix together all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened. Stirring frequently.
   

Ethiopian-Style Bitter Gourd

It was meant to be Bamya Alich'a or Ethiopian-style Okra. I used bitter gourd because that's Adrian's favorite. He has been asking me to make some bitter gourd dish for awhile now. Especially after having tasted a Malay bitter gourd dish during our Chinese New Year visit back to KL in 2008. "Please find out how to make it". That's the only request he demanded again and again after having fallen into death ears, again and again.

I hated bitter gourd since young. I remember how my grandmother would trick me into eating them by describing the taste as "gan" instead of "ku" (bitter). It didn't agree with my immature taste bud then. Although I can handle it better now, it's still not something I'd gladly make. Except for Adrian. That's love.

I didn't grasp the extend of his thirst for bitter gourd until he told me that he skipped lunch because he was eager to try this dish. I didn't think (or know) this dish was good. Adrian affirmed me that it was. Still, I have doubt. Just my bias.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup bitter gourd, cut into 1/2" coins
• 2 TB pure sesame oil
  
• 1/2 red onions, minced
• a handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 jalapenos, seeded and minced

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil. Saute onions with a generous pinch of sea salt until light brown.
2. Add tomatoes and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat. Stir in garlic, ginger, and cardamon. Add bitter gourd and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
3. Add chiles and cook another 5 more minutes.

Ethiopian Pinto Bean Salad With Shallots and Chili

The original recipe, Yemiser Selatta, uses lentils. I chose to use the frozen cooked pinto I have ready in the freezer.

Ingredients:
(serve 2)

• 1 cup cooked pinto beans
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoons pure sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 large shallots, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 fresh hot chili peppers, stems and seeds removed, finely chopped
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1. Mix the vinegar, oil, salt and a bit of pepper in a bowl and beat together with a whisk.
2. Mix everything together with the beans and let marinated at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, stirring from time to time, before serving.

Ethiopian Spice Mix

Called berbere, it's a spice mix commonly used in Ethiopian and Eritrea cuisines. Once made it will reduce preparation time considerably. Although traditional recipe may require spices and herbs not known outside Ethiopia, the recipe here uses common spices as per Indian. I enjoyed making this very much. It's somewhat satisfying to cook with whole spices, and later grinding them into powder. I love the fragrant when it's heated.

Ingredients:
(make 2 cups)

• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 4 whole cloves
• 8 cardamom pods
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1/4 teaspoon whole allspice
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, whole
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander seed
• 1/2 cup dried shallots
• 3 dried red chilies, stems and seeds removed
• 3 dried Thai chilies, stems and seeds removed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons salt

1. In a frying pan, combine cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom pods, black pepper, allspice, fenugreek and coriander seeds. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute.
2. Blender with shallots and dried chilies until finely ground.
3. Combine the toasted seasonings with the remaining spices.
4. Keep refrigerated in a well-sealed jar or zip-lock bag.

Rye Spelt Injera

Injera - called differently - is a traditional stable food of Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopian and Yemen. It is a pancake-like sourdough flat bread made out of teff flour: the one ingredient thought to make cooking Ethiopian foods impossible. Teff is a minute, ancient grain thought to have originated in Ethiopia between 400 and 1000BC. Traditionally teff is grown as a cereal crop in Ethiopia where it is ground into flour, fermented for three days, and then made into injera.

Thank goodness for internet and the many innovative cooks around the world, we can now make injera - of sort - without using teff flour. Some sites on the internet use millet flour or stone-ground corn meal. I found one that uses spelt flour and thought it would work for me since that's what's available in the pantry. If you already have sourdough starter, jump right in. Otherwise you may want to delay the plan for three or four days and start from here first.

All I could remember of the injera I had before was it's moist and softness - qualities of which this recipe fulfills. Although the sour odor was a little bit stronger than I would like it to be. Also, I fried them on a 8" frying pan - not quite the table-size On the other hand, our Ethiopian foods enthusiast seemed to take a liking of it. He asked if there were more. Sure. Uncooked and still fermenting.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 1 cup organic rye flour
• 1 cup organic whole wheat flour
• 2 cups water
• ½ cup organic spelt flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• salt to taste

1. Mix the starter, rye, spelt, whole wheat flour with the water, stir well, cover and allow to rise in a warm place for overnight, or at least 4 hours. (Or up to 3 days, stirring once each day)
2. When ready to make the injeras, add baking powder and salt. Stir well. Add water as needed to make a thin crepe-like batter.
3. Heat a pan, brush or spray with oil as needed, ladle some batter and swirl it around to form a thin layer. Bubbles/holes will form at the top surface. Remove from pan when the bottom is set - no need to flip to cook the other side.
   

Ethiopian Green Beans And Sweet Potatoes

Called Yataklete Kilkil, this dish is traditionally served during Lent as a main course but can be served any time of the year as a side dish. The recipe calls for canned stewed tomatoes, which replaced with homemade. It's delicious and easy to make. I also substituted sweet potatoes for potatoes, as Adrian prefers.

There was some extra, which Adrian thought would go well with egg for tomorrow's breakfast.

Homemade Stewed Tomatoes

Ingredients:
(make 2 cups)

• 2 large tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon onion, minced
• 1 tablespoon green bell pepper, minced

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Blanch tomatoes for 10 seconds. Put under running water to stop cooking. Peel the skin and chopped into cubes.
2. Placed chopped tomatoes in a heavy saucepan. Bring it to boil. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes over lowest heat.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients. Taste and adjust with seasoning. Simmer, uncovered, for another 15 minutes. Stirring frequently until juices are reduced.

Yataklete Kilkil
Ingredients:
(make 2 servings)

• 1 Sweet potato, diced
• Green Bean, chopped
• 1/2 Tablespoon pure sesame oil
• 1 Clove Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 TB Berbere
  
• 1 Cup homemade stewed tomatoes
  
• 1/4 Teaspoon Fresh Lime Juice

1. Cover potatoes in boiling water and simmer for 12 minutes add green beans and cook for another 5 minutes. Drain.
   
2. In a separate saucepan, heat oil , fry garlic and berbere until fragrant.
3. Stir in cooked sweet potatoes and green beans. Fry until well coated. Add stewed tomatoes and fresh lime juice. Cook 7-10 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently.

Ethiopian Comes Alive

In year 2008, Adrian and I were on an assignment to teach Yoga to this oligarch of Russia. It was quite a stint: everyday we were chauffeured around the city in a brand new Mercedes S-Class with two bodyguards at our dispense. One of whom Adrian strongly believed to be carrying gun under the jacket.

One night we decided to venture out to the slum to find this Ethiopian restaurant that Adrian read about in some local guide. Growing up in Seattle, where there's quite a community of Ethiopians, Adrian has had many Ethiopian foods, and loves them all. When Adrian took me to Seattle in 2008, I, too, had a taste of the Seattle Ethiopian foods that Adrian sometimes raves about.

After the new year holidays in up north, I asked Adrian what he would like to eat. Ethiopian, he said. I didn't think he meant it seriously because he mentioned about some rare ingredients that he has never found elsewhere but Ethiopia: teff flour. I did some research and found that this core ingredient of Ethiopian flat bread may be substitute by millet flour, stone-ground corn meal, or a mix of rye flour and spelt flour, with a touch of sourdough starter. Further research showed that Ethiopian foods are not impossible to make. Although it does require some pre-preparation of its signature spices but once made you are set to go.

If you haven't had Ethiopian foods before it is very much like Indian - spicy vegetables or meat in the form of wat (thick stew) served atop of large piece (about 20 inches) of sourdough flat bread called injera. The spices used are also similar: cardamom, cloves, turmeric, coriander, etc. You eat it with your hand, using pieces of injera to pick up the entree or side dishes. I made quite a few changes to the recipes that I found around the internet to suit what I can find and what's manageable.

I have only had two Ethiopian meals in my life - I'm not one to judge the dishes. Adrian commented that they were not the kind of Ethiopian foods that he knew of. However, they were extraordinary: not Indian nor Ethiopian; they deserved to be called one of themselves. I'm going to file for their rights under mine once I have a name for them.