Berbere Black Lentil Stew

Name: Berbere Black Lentil Stew
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 medium yellow onion minced; 1 tablespoon minced ginger minced; 3 to 4 tablespoons berbere spice; 1 cup uncooked black lentils; 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth; 1 to 2 cups waters; 1/2 cup tomato sauce; Juice from 1/2 lemon plus extra for serving; salt to taste; yogurt for topping; Cilantro for topping

User Reviews

3.6

15 reviews

Good

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings
2 servings
Calories
438 kcal

Berbere Black Lentil Stew

Iris Warren

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A rich, spice-heavy black lentil stew that relies on the Ethiopian spice blender: berbere that is heavy on chili peppers.

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Ingredients

Servings

Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger minced
3 to 4 tablespoons berbere spice
1 cup uncooked black lentils
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 to 2 cups waters
1/2 cup tomato sauce
Juice from 1/2 lemon plus extra for serving
salt to taste

Topping

yogurt for topping
Cilantro for topping

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Instructions

Heat a pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil followed by the minced onion. Cook until the onion is translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Add in the ginger and cook for a minute more.
Measure in 3 tablespoons of the berbere spice and stir to coat the onions. Add in the black lentils followed by the vegetable broth and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 25 minutes. Check and stir occasionally, adding water as needed.
Once lentils are mostly tender, stir in the tomato sauce and lemon. Continue to cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until lentils are tender. Taste and add more berbere seasoning, lemon juice, or salt as needed.

Notes

Tips & Tricks: I highly recommend blending your own Berbere spice. Grinding your own peppers allows for a better flavor and better control of the heat. Two recipes for Berbere that I like can be found here and here.
If you're worried about the heat level, start with 1 tablespoon of the berbere spice and go from there. Some blends are extremely spicy!
Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: black lentils, tomato sauce, vegetable broth
Nutrition: see the information.