The spongey bread that you will use to scoop up the sweet and spicy stew is called Injera. This is the part that will take some time. Basically, you make the batter and let it sit at room temp for several days. The other blogger said that it is sour enough for them after a day or two. I let mine sit for 4 days. I've seen other sites that say to let it sit for a week. It's really personal preference, I think. It will start to smell bad. That is perfectly normal. It is fermenting and the dough is supposed to get sour. If you don't like the idea of that, then you could eat the stew with naan instead, it's just not going to be the same taste. If you do decide to go with naan, I'd recommend brushing it lightly with some lemon butter before heating it up so it will atleast have a little bit of a similar taste.
Injera
1/2 c. teff flour
1/2 c. cornmeal
4 c. all purpose flour
32 oz. water
Whisk it all together really well in a giant bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it sit for 1 to 7 days. I stopped at 4 days because I couldn't stand the smell in my kitchen any longer. Pour off any extra liquid on the top, then stir it around real good. You want it to be kind of like a slightly thin pancake batter. You can add more water or flour to get it to the right consistency if need be. Heat a skillet on medium heat and ladle about 2 tablespoons into the pan and move the pan in a circular motion to get it to flatten out in to a big circle. The edges will immediately begin to dry and turn color. Use a spatula and pick up the edges so they don't get too crispy or stuck. Then just wait for the whole thing to turn the same color, I gave it about 1 min longer but check the bottom to make sure it doesn't burn. You are not going to flip this at all. One side and its done.
Sweet Potato and Lentil Wat
You will need to make up a spice mixture, you can do this ahead of time. I only made half of what the other blogger made because I only had the red pepper flakes from leftover packets from the last pizza order, lol. Also, I wasn't sure if I'd like it the first go around. But now that I know, I will be making a double batch of the spice mix next time. Keep it in an airtight container. I used a clean and dried out small glass jar that used to contained minced garlic. Any jar will do.
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp sea salt
3 Tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground clove
1 tsp ground black pepper
Grind all the spices together. I used my trusty mortar and pestle. Then store in your airtight container of choice.
Berbere spice mix
4 1/2 tsp red chili flakes1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp sea salt
3 Tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground clove
1 tsp ground black pepper
Grind all the spices together. I used my trusty mortar and pestle. Then store in your airtight container of choice.
And now for the wat!
2 Tbsp coconut oil (any oil will do)
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into bite size pieces
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 Tbsp Berbere spice mix
1 c. dried lentils
4 c. vegetable stock
1/4 head of cabbage, shredded
1 large tomato, chopped
salt and pepper
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the onions until they become translucent, then add the garlic and ginger. Cook for another minute, then add the Berbere, cabbage, tomato, sweet potato, salt and pepper. Stir well, cook for about a min, then add the veggie stock and lentils. Let it come to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 25-30 mins or until the lentils and sweet potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally during cooking to make sure the potatoes cook evenly. This is the point in which the other blogger adds a squeeze of lemon juice, but I think it's not needed with the sourness of the injera so I skipped it. Cook another 5 mins uncovered. Taste and add more salt or spice here if needed. Serve with a side of injera and enjoy!
