Mesir Wat Recipe | Ethiopian Lentil Stew

Mesir wat is a hearty and comforting Ethiopian red lentil stew. It is flavored with homemade Berbere spice blend. Serve with Injera for a delicious meal.

I love Passport meals which means you go on a world tour without actually leaving your own kitchen. Trying out different dishes from around the world has been my passion.

In my quest for vegetarian recipes, I found the amazing Ethiopian cuisine. It is a very vegetarian friendly cuisine. There are quite a few vegetable and lentil based dishes that are hearty and perfect options for vegetarians and vegans.

Misir Wot | Ethiopian Lentils

Misir Wat aka Mesir Wat is a delicious Ethiopian lentil stew. Wat is stew and Mesir Wat loosely means lentil stew. It is one of their most famous vegetarian dishes. It is easy to make, protein packed and absolutely delicious.

What makes Ethiopian food enticing to me is the use of spices, which makes it familiar to my Indian taste buds. They use flavor packed ingredients to enhance the taste of the dish. Like the aromatic ghee (niter kibbeh) or the berbere spice blend.

Ingredients

This is a simple, every day recipe that does not need any complicated ingredients. Most of them are pantry staples. Here is what you need to make this stew:

• red lentils (masoor dal in hindi) - these little pinkish-orange lentils are quick to cook. They become deliciously creamy in no time. Also there is no need to soak them before cooking.
• berbere spice - an aromatic spice blend made with roasted and ground spices. If you have a well stocked spice rack, then you can make this spice blend fresh at home. If not, look for a good quality store bought blend.
• onion
• ginger
• garlic
• green chilies
• tomato puree

Instructions

Missir Wot can easily made on the stove top. But if you have an Instant Pot, then the whole recipe takes less than 10 minutes of hands on time. I have included instructions for both methods of making this dish.

Stove top method:

• Heat oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat.
• Add onions, ginger, garlic and green chilies, cook till onions are translucent, about 3~4 minutes.
• Add 3 cups of water and lentils, bring the mixture to a boil.
• Lower the heat and simmer covered until lentils are cooked through, tender and creamy, this will take about 15~20 minutes.
• Season with salt and mix well.

Instant Pot Misir Wot Method:

• Heat Instant Pot on 'Saute' mode. Add oil, onions, ginger, garlic and green chilies, cook till onions are translucent, about 3~4 minutes.
• Add 2½ cups of water*, lentils and water.
• Turn off the Saute mode and turn the IP on manual/ pressure cook mode. Cook for 6 minutes with the venting knob in sealing position.
• Wait for the pressure to reduce naturally. Open the lid and mix well to combine.

Tips

Here are a few tips and tricks to make this delicious lentil stew:

• To added extra flavor, use low-sodium vegetable stock instead of water.
• Depending on the spiciness of the berbere spice blend used, you can use more green chilies to make the stew spicy.
• Stir in lemon juice before serving for a delicious finish.
• Leftovers taste great the next day. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Warm before serving.

How to Serve?

Traditionally ye misir wot is served with injera, Ethiopian flatbread. But if you don't have injera, then it is great to serve over plain rice as well. My kids ate it with roti as well.

So, this is a hearty and delicious side dish that can be served with any meal. To make this a complete meal, make Tikel Gomen and serve with injera as a meal.