Ethiopian Lentils (Mesir Wat)
These Ethiopian lentils are full of flavor, spiced with cardamom and ginger! Serve over rice for an easy dinner.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Ethiopian
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups uncooked rice
- 1 red onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ tablespoons minced ginger root
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups red lentils
- 5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- A few pinches (or more) cayenne
Instructions
- Prepare the rice according to the package instructions or use our Instant Pot method.
- Dice the onion. Mince the garlic. Mince the ginger.
- In a large saucepan or pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, ginger, paprika, turmeric, and ground cardamom. Cook for about 3 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices and cook for another minute.
- Add the red lentils and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer. Cook covered until the lentils are fully pureed, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Add the kosher salt and black pepper. For additional heat, add several pinches of cayenne.
