November 11, 2013

I (still) love Ethiopian food

Fasolia be Karot

Testing for Kittee's Ethiopian cookbook is still going strong at our house. Although I have to admit to a moment or two of Ethiopian food fatigue, we still love all the dishes we've been making. If you've eaten Ethiopian food, you've no doubt noticed that much of it is really spicy, but not all. A platter of food usually includes mild foods and salad to balance out the heat of the highly spiced dishes. The Fasolia be Karot, or green beans with carrot that you see in the photo above, was rich with garlic, ginger and onions, but mild and sweet in taste. We both loved the flavor of the tender green beans and carrots.

Ye'dubba Kai Wot

The roasted butternut squash in a spicy red sauce was spectacular — very spicy and delicious. It was wonderful wrapped up in bites of tangy injera.

Shehan Ful

The Shehan Ful, or mashed seasoned fava beans, is a breakfast food. Topped with tomato, onion and jalapeno, it's a fine way to get the morning started — or the afternoon. I enjoyed it spread on crackers for lunch, though that's not the traditional way to eat it.


You've seen pancakes like these many times on this blog and others. Chickpea flour flatbreads are popular in many countries (Italy, Spain, France, India ... to name a few) and I love them. The Ethiopian version you see here is filled with chopped tomato, onion, parsley and peas. Hot off the griddle they are thick, fluffy and delicious, but after a night in the fridge, they tend to compress a bit. I rejuvenated mine with a very thin coat of Niter Kibbeh and a short visit in the microwave. Still delicious!


Awaze is a pleasantly hot barbecue or dipping sauce, and it's hard not to put it on everything.


Not all the food in Kittee's book is traditional. There are a few renegade recipes like the burgers you see above that make use of leftover Ethiopian dishes partnered with old friends like tofu.


I was happy to use some of the leftover butternut squash and another vegetable dish to mix up the burgers when I couldn't stand the thought of eating the originals one more time. The burgers were wonderful, and reminded me of a terrific little tofu burger I used to buy ages ago — only these were better. The texture and the taste were very appealing. I ate them straight up — both hot, and cold the next day.

University of Washington Botanic Gardens.


We do other things besides eat around here. For example, we belong to a walking group that explores various locations around Seattle every Sunday morning. For about two hours, we walk different areas of town. Seattle is filled with great places to hike right in the city, and we've been to places we never knew existed, thanks to our very talented and knowledgeable leader. She not only knows the best places to explore, she can identify the plants and birds, and also is somewhat of a history buff, so she gives us background info on what we're seeing. And she doesn't get lost.

Yes, it was blooming. University of Washington Botanic Gardens.

Here are a few photos from a recent walk in the University of Washington Botanic Gardens. It's still hard for me to believe a few plants are in bloom in November.

A sassafras leaf in fall color. University of Washington Botanic Gardens.

We've been incredibly lucky so far in that it hasn't been raining on our walks. On the day the photos were taken, it was actually sunny. This past Sunday, we watched the salmon running in Carkeek Park, and hiked the trails in the chilly gloom — but no rain! Do you have great natural areas to hike where you live?

35 comments:

  1. Everything you've been testing for Kittee looks so good! I love all of the variety. I'm so excited for her! It looks like it's going to be a terrific cookbook.

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    1. We haven't tried anything we didn't like — or maybe I should say love. I'm anxious for the book to come out, too, because I have the urge to improvise and right now I have to follow directions. :)

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  2. This all sounds so delicious! I've never actually had Ethiopian food! I've always wanted to try it and there is an all vegan Ethiopian restaurant in LA that I really must go to.

    I am lucky enough to live right by Bronson Canyon and Griffith Park in LA, so lots of hiking nearby! Your walks sounds fantastic with all the history and knowledge that goes along with them!

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    1. There's an all-vegan Ethiopian restaurant and you haven't gone? What are you waiting for?

      It's so great to have wonderful hiking right in the city. I think it took about 10 minutes to drive to Carkeek, and it was like being in a national park — except there was a trail run the day we were there so lots of company. :)

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  3. Ohhhh! Carkeek Park!!! When I lived in Seattle, I lived in Phinney Ridge, and Carkeek was my favorite place. I LOVED watching the salmon, and I still think about them so often. I found the whole process wondrous, moving, magical, and poignant. So incredible. And I also loved standing right by the train tracks there as the (long) trains roared past. Such a special place in my heart. <3 Lately I've been walking the dogs at sunset along the cliffs here in Santa Cruz. It has been a non-stop display of beauty and wonder.

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    1. I'm across the lake from Phinney. Carkeek is an amazing place, and the salmon . . . you described it well. I've never been by the tracks as a train rolled by, but have observed from above, and it's a compelling experience. I also love the view of the water from the Hillside Trail.

      I haven't been to Santa Cruz, but it sounds like a wonderful, beautiful community, and you're so lucky to live there. Next time we visit San Francisco, I want to drive to Santa Cruz.

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  4. Wow; so late in the season for that beautiful hydrangea.

    I am not familiar with the Ethiopian fatigue of which you speak, but I am about a week behind. Still loving every morsel and pitching the book to my friends even though it's not available yet!

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    1. Late for the East Coast and the Midwest, maybe, but apparently hydrangeas aren't intimidated by the seasons here. I have a photo of a pink one, too.

      You were smart cook for friends and share the bounty. We ate a LOT of leftovers nearly to the breaking point. The last tester batch got shared, and didn't start piling up in the fridge. We've had a little break, and are about to start again.

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  5. This all looks so good - I can't wait for the cookbook!

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    1. I've loved Ethiopian food for a long time, and it's been really fun to learn how to cook it at home.

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  6. It all looks amazing, especially the Ye'dubba Kai Wot!

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    1. Oh yes. The roasted butternut squash was so spicy and yummy!

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  7. I love Ful so much! Yours looks really yummy :-)

    Courtney

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    1. You know, I didn't like it so much the first day, but the next day it was great! I wish I had some in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch.

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  8. Everything looks awesome! we actually dont see all this variety in the restaurants. I can imagine how awesome Kitte's book is going to be! i dont find the food from the restaurants spicy, so i usually add some chili :)

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    1. Only some of the recipes are common in restaurants here — the rest of the dishes are just traditional Ethiopian home-type foods. Only some of the dishes are spicy, but they all have lots of onion, garlic and ginger.

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  9. I'm so envious of Kittee's testers! Ethiopian food is the greatest. All your dishes look amazing.

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    1. I'm sure enjoying the food, that's for sure. But, it does take a bit of food prep, and, generally speaking, I'm too lazy for this. :)

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  10. More yummy Ethiopian food! You can't beat a good chickpea pancake. You just can't. I like the idea of renegade recipes that use up leftovers to make something new. I wish all cookbooks had a little chapter dedicated to using up leftovers.

    Your nature shots are beautiful! Being a member of a walking group sounds like a nice way to get in some exercise while learning some new things at the same time. Multitasking WIN! :)

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    1. I agree about the pancakes — I'm a longtime fan — and the version I tested is particularly good. I still have a soft spot for your Spanish tortilla, though.

      Thanks for complimenting the photos. Leaves and plants aren't as challenging as birds, but they're pretty. :)

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    2. I have Kittee's Papa Tofu Loves Ethiopian cooklet but am ashamed to say I haven't tried the recipes yet! I pledge to get ingredients and start making her recipes this weekend! Thank you for the wonderful reminder. Will also most likely get the new cookbook when it is released to try the new tested recipes!

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    3. I used to have Kittee's Ethiopian 'zine but it seems to have disappeared, so I'll be happy to have her new book when it comes out. We did make a few of the earlier recipes and they were good!

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    4. I pulled it out last night and immersed myself in reading the basics. I love her style and she makes home-cooked Ethiopian food seem more accessible than I previously thought. It seems that a lot of preparation is needed and I don't have a cast iron skillet to make the injera fakeout. Lots of things to gather before I can start.

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  11. I'm embarassed to say that we still have not tried Ethiopian food. I want to have authentic Ethiopian before attempting it myself and we have nothing close by. I think I may have to suck it up and cook it myself, especially after finding your posts!

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    1. Cooking it yourself can be pretty authentic. Think about where the food comes from in the first place — people's stoves! :) You could check Kittee's blog for a recipe or two to try out. http://kitteekake.blogspot.com/p/recipes.html She has a small section for Ethiopian recipes.

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  12. More yummy looking food! With so much, I wonder if you can freeze some of the meals for later eating. The walking group sounds fun, I'm not aware of any around here but that's probably because I haven't looked. But what a great way to explore the city. :-)

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    1. I might be able to freeze leftovers. Sharing seems to be a good way to get rid of lots of excess, too!

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  13. Everything I've seen you make that's Ethiopian, I've just thought I'd pretty much love, and this is all no exception. I think the fava beans are calling out to me in particular! When is the best book out?

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    1. I'm not exactly sure when the book will be out but I think the manuscript is due in early January.

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  14. I like mildly spicy foods, and would love to try Ethopian food soon! I can imagine eating the Shehan Ful on these pancakes for breakfast. Awaze sounds pretty tasty and pretty leaves!

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    1. The ful is made with a small brown fava bean common to the Middle East, and was really delicious. I used a canned variety found in an Ethiopian shop but I think cooking from dried beans would be better.

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  15. I have never tried Ethiopian food. I like Indian food but some of it is way too spicy for me. I expect Ethiopian food is the same. We even have an awesome vegetarian Ethiopian vegetarian restaurant in Austin. I'm just a big wuss, lol.

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    1. Some Ethiopian food is spicy and some is mild — usually there's a combination of mild and spicy food served on a platter. The injera makes the spicy food taste less spicy, I've found. You should go to the restaurant and ask for the least spicy dishes. I love the flavors so much, I feel disappointed when we don't have Ethiopian food for dinner!

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  16. Mmm, I love Ethiopian food! It seems intimidating to cook though, you're going to be well versed by the time testing is done!

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    1. It's not so hard as it seems though it does involve a lot of chopping and a bit of preparation of cooking oils and spice mixes. Very doable, though. I'm super lazy and I made a lot of recipes.

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