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Misir Wot (Variation)

Berbere Spice Mix

This recipe is essentially the same as the one given at Great British Chefs, but with four differences. First, the salt is omitted; use salt in your cooking as you see fit. Second, the quantity is reduced by a factor of two to make about three or four tablespoons instead of about eight. Obviously, you can scale up or down in any way you want. Third, the chili powder is not specified and should be your choice according to availability and the desired heat level. Fourth, you have the option of using ground spices instead of toasting whole spices.

If you start with the following spices whole, begin by toasting them in a hot, dry pan until fragrant : chilies, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom pod, fenugreek seeds and cloves. Maybe also cinnamon bark. Then transfer them to a spice grinder and blend to a powder. Otherwise, just spoon out the already ground spices. Then, add the spices that you're almost certain to have bought already ground. Combine them all and store in an airtight, labelled jar.

OK, now let's talk about the chili powder. Great British Chefs ask for a tablespoon of dried bird's eye chilies (after halving as discussed above). We find on Wikipedia that these measure around 50,000 – 100,000 Scoville units, just under the Habanero and hotter than Cayenne. This is not out of line with other recipes for Berbere. So, it's supposed to be really hot (although how are you supposed to taste the other spices?). You just need to look in your spice cabinet and use as much as you dare of the hottest chili you have. Maybe start with a teaspoon of cayenne and see how things go. If you're not a heat-freak, perhaps you can find some ground Kashmiri pepper, which is very mild, so that you won't have to work in eighths of a teaspoon. Before you give up on this, let me say that I've found Berbere spice mix to work very well without a lot of heat. Go cautious on the chili pepper (you can always add more) and try the recipe below.

Misir Wot

Pick through the lentils and remove anything not a lentil. Rinse in several changes of cold water and then soak them for 30 minutes (no longer, or you'll have to reduce the liquid in the next step). Collect in a sieve, give a final rinse under the tap and set to one side. Put the juice drained from the tomatoes in a small saucepan. You want about ¾ cup, so discard any excess or add water as needed. Add half of a vegetable stock cube or, if you don't have one handy, use a tiny bit of salt. Bring to a simmer and make sure the stock cube dissolves. Add the lentils and cook on a low heat until they are done to your liking. If they get to a nice texture and there is liquid left, pour it off or use that sieve again. If they are still too hard when the liquid is gone, add a little hot water. Set the cooked lentils to one side.

Chop the drained tomatoes finely, or however you want them. If you buy crushed instead of diced tomatoes, you won't need to chop them, but the juice won't separate. So, cut back on the liquid when cooking the lentils and then cook a while longer after everything is mixed together to absorb the liquid straight from the tomatoes. You can also use a cup of some kind of tomato sauce intended for pasta in the same way.

Heat the oil over a medium flame. Cook the chopped onion until it begins to brown. Stir in the minced garlic, cook for one minute, then stir in the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and add the bebere spice mix and the lentils. Cook until the lentils are heated through, then remove from the stove and stir in the cilantro. If necessary, keep in a warm oven (170°F , 77°C) until needed to serve.