Gomen Wat (Ethiopian Collard Greens)

Name: Gomen Wat (Ethiopian Collard Greens)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons avocado oil; 1 red onion; 2 tomatoes; 6 cloves garlic; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon ginger paste; 1 teaspoon cumin powder; ½ teaspoon cardamom powder; ½ teaspoon red chili powder; 2 lbs collard greens or kale; 1 Jalapeño; 1 tablespoon chopped basil

User Reviews

5.0

153 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins
Servings
6 servings
Calories
158 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Ethiopian

Gomen Wat (Ethiopian Collard Greens)

Brayden Ortiz

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Gomen Wat is a traditional Ethiopian collard green recipe. Vegan and gluten-free as written, this is a flavorful and nutritious side dish - perfect for adding some spice to your dinner!

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Ingredients

Servings

4 tablespoons avocado oil divided, see notes
1 red onion diced
2 tomatoes diced finely, substitute tomato paste or sauce
6 cloves garlic minced, measure this with your heart!
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon cumin powder see notes for spice blend
½ teaspoon cardamom powder see notes for spice blend
½ teaspoon red chili powder see notes for spice blend
2 lbs collard greens or kale see notes
1 Jalapeño julienned or sliced into thin strips, adjust to spice level
1 tablespoon chopped basil optional, for garnish

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Instructions

Wash the greens thoroughly. Then, chop them as small as you can. You can either do this by hand, or you can just add them to a food processor and blitz them.
Add one tablespoon of avocado oil to a large skillet and heat on medium-heat. Then add the chopped onions, tomatoes, minced garlic and a pinch of salt to the skillet and sauté until soft (about 5 to 7 minutes).
Once the mixture is cooked, add the ginger paste to the skillet and toss to coat. Turn down the heat at this stage so that the mixture doesn't burn.
Now, add cumin, cardamom and red chili powder to the skillet along with ¼ cup of water. Allow it to simmer a bit to indicate it's well combined. Note: If using just mitmita, add a teaspoon of the spice along with the water. Don't allow this to cook for too long since it can form a bitter taste.
Now, add the chopped collard greens or kale to the skillet in small increments. Stir so the greens the spice mixture mix quite well together, and increase the heat to medium-high. Cover, and allow it to cook for 15 to 20 minutes, checking on it every 5 minutes to make sure it doesn't burn.
Season the dish with salt to taste, and then add the sliced jalapeños. Cover and allow this to cook for another 5 minutes, until the raw taste is gone from the jalapeños. Garnish with basil (optional) and serve hot!

Notes

Choice of skillet: It's important to use a large skillet for this dish. We'll be using a large amount of greens to start with, and though they'll reduce quite a bit at the end, it's important to have sufficient space to add the greens at the beginning so they don't cook at different rates!
Going oil-free: This recipe can easily be made oil-free. Start with a splash of vegetable broth while cooking the onions and tomatoes. Then, add a bit more in place of avocado oil. It tastes just as delicious!
Amount of garlic: I tend to use anywhere between 4 to 6 cloves of garlic in this recipe because it really brings out the flavors! But if you're not a garlic fiend, please feel free to reduce this to suit your taste!
Spice blend:

Traditionally, gomen is made with a spice blend called mitmita. This is made with dried and ground African bird's eye chili, garlic, ginger, cardamom, cloves and peppercorns. Since mitmita is not super easy to find in all the places, so I've used a spice blend that mimics the flavor reasonably well! Kochkocha (which means "spicy pounded green pepper sauce" in the Oromo language) is a green spicy sauce made with onions, basil, cumin, ginger, cardamom and nearly a pound of jalapeños. If you wish, you can also make this sauce separately and then add this at the very end, right as you add the julienned jalapeños.
Traditionally, gomen is made with a spice blend called mitmita. This is made with dried and ground African bird's eye chili, garlic, ginger, cardamom, cloves and peppercorns.
Since mitmita is not super easy to find in all the places, so I've used a spice blend that mimics the flavor reasonably well!
Kochkocha (which means "spicy pounded green pepper sauce" in the Oromo language) is a green spicy sauce made with onions, basil, cumin, ginger, cardamom and nearly a pound of jalapeños. If you wish, you can also make this sauce separately and then add this at the very end, right as you add the julienned jalapeños.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 158kcal (8%) Carbohydrates 11g (4%) Protein 5g (10%) Fat 12g (18%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 7g Sodium 475mg (20%) Potassium 680mg (19%) Fiber 7g (28%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 15543IU (311%) Vitamin C 152mg (169%) Calcium 403mg (40%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 158 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	158kcal	8%
Carbohydrates	11g	4%
Protein	5g	10%
Fat	12g	18%
Saturated Fat	1g	5%
Polyunsaturated Fat	2g	12%
Monounsaturated Fat	7g	35%
Sodium	475mg	20%
Potassium	680mg	14%
Fiber	7g	28%
Sugar	3g	6%
Vitamin A	15543IU	311%
Vitamin C	152mg	169%
Calcium	403mg	40%
Iron	3mg	17%