Ingredients
1 ½ cup of red lentil
2 medium chopped onions
3 medium chopped tomatoes
10 cloves of minced garlic (we love garlic, you can add less if you don’t)
3 tbsp. of berbere, add less if you don’t like it spicy (if you don’t have berbere, check my berbere paste recipe below)
4-6 tbs of oil
Salt to test
About 3 cups of hot water (add more or less, depends on if you want thick /thin stew)
Soak the lentils for 5-10 mins before washing it (optional)
To a heated sauce pan (on high heat), add the oil and the onions, adding a little bit of salt will help the onions to wilt quickly, give it a quick stir & cover it for about 4-5minutes (keep an eye on it & stir in between), after about 5 minutes, add the garlic, give it a quick stir and cover it for couple more mins, then add the berbere, give it a quick stir cover it for about a minutes and then add the tomatoes, give it a quick stir and cover it for about 3-4 minutes to let the tomatoes cook, then add the washed lentils, mix it well, reduce the heat to low and let it cook for about 10-12 minutes (just keep an eye on it & stir in between to avoid sticking, you can add a tiny bit of water) red lentils doesn’t take long to cook, but we want it to observe the flavor, if we add the water right away it won’t have much flavor, it is also a good idea to have a boiling water on the side. After about 12 mins, put the heat on high and add about 3 cups of boiling water, give it a good mix and let it simmer for about 3 minutes then see if you need to add more water, add salt to your test, let it simmer for couple more mins and remove from the heat.
This freezes beautifully and it can last up to a week in a fridge.
Make simple berbere paste at home:
https://youtu.be/bEcAGB5exkk
Link to get berbere:
https://amzn.to/3g1tSZe