Ethiopian Lentils With Berebere Spice Mix

Servings: 6-10

Ingredients:

1 lb lentils

6 cups water or vegetable broth

6 cups mild green chili, roasted peeled, seeded and chopped

2 red onion, chopped

2 garlic clove, minced (or more)

Fresh ground black pepper

Berebere Spice Mix (use 2 tablespoons):

2 teaspoons cumin seed or powdered cumin

1 teaspoon cardamom seed (shell off husks) or cardamom powder

1/2 teaspoon whole allspice or ground

1teaspoon fenugreek seeds or powder

1 teaspoon coriander seed or powder

8 whole cloves or ground cloves

1 teaspoon black peppercorns or freshly ground peppercorn

5 teaspoons red pepper flakes or crumbled dried red pepper

1 tablespoon grated fresh gingerroot or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sweet paprika (can use hot)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cooking Instructions:

Lentils: Bring lentils and broth to boil and simmer 10 minutes. Add chiles, onion, garlic, and Berebere spices. Cook covered for another 30 minutes, until most of liquid is absorbed. Serve with ground black pepper to taste. For a vegetarian meal, these lentils are good with a dollop of yogurt, brown rice and sliced tomatoes.

Berebere Spice Mix: Toast all the seeds and whole cloves in a small frying pan for 2 minutes, stirring constantly (open window or turn on the stove vent--it can smoke). Grind the spices in a spice grinder. If you are using pre-ground spices, ignore and go on to the next step. Mix all remaining ingredients. Place in a tightly covered container and refrigerate. This mixture can used with many combinations of legumes, rice or vegetables.

There are two ways to make this berebere spice mix - with whole spices that you grind, or with powdered versions of the spices. The first way gives you a more powerful flavor, but it may be more practical the second way, particularly if you don't have a spice grinder.

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