Enebla: Recipes from an Ethiopian Kitchen, written by Luladey Moges, features a wonderful collection of over 60 favorite recipes along with beautiful photos and personal stories. A few highlights include Timatim Fitfit (Tomato Fitfit), Tikil Gomen (Ethiopian Cabbage Stew), Asa Wot (Spicy Fish Stew), Ambasha (Ethiopian Traditional Bread), and Buna (Traditional Coffee Ceremony). I will also be sharing her recipe for Ye Beg Alicha Wot (Mild Lamb Stew) following the review.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from TouchWood Editions in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own.
Luladey Moges
Luladey Moges grew up in Addis Ababa and moved to Dallas, Texas at the age of 12 twelve with her family. She learned Ethiopian cuisine from her grandmother, mother, and aunts.
With a busy career in hospitality, she spent years developing family recipes with authentic flavors in an hour or less to balance work and home.
Luladey is currently based in Los Angeles. This is her first cookbook.
Enebla
Luladey begins Enebla with a short introduction to her life in Ethiopia along with basic guides to the culture and traditions surrounding food and notable ingredients.
I especially appreciate the glossary with a list of traditional dishes and pantry items with the Amharic name (both romanized and fidäl) and English description.
Chapters are divided according to the following: Appetizers, Snacks & Side Dishes; Breakfast Dishes; Vegetarian & Vegan Dishes; Meat & Fish Dishes; Breads & Desserts; and Beverages.
The photography is provided by DL Acken. Most of the dishes are paired with a beautifully styled full-page photo of the finished dish. There are also family photos scattered among the pages.
Measurements are listed in US Customary. There is a conversion chart in the back of the book. Titles are written in Amharic and English. Each recipe includes a headnote with background information, serving ideas, yield, and helpful tips.
Ye Beg Alicha Wot (Ethiopian Mild Lamb Stew)
The Ye Beg Alicha Wot (የበግ አልጫ ወጥ, Mild Lamb Stew) has such soothing, mild flavors perfect for celebrations, special events, and holidays such as Christmas.
I tried this lamb stew (Yebeg Alethcha Wot) for the first time while living in Los Angeles at Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant. I am so glad I can make it at home now!
After simmering briefly in water, cubes of lamb are paired with softened onions, ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander, and cardamom.
The mixture is cooked in water until the lamb is tender and the liquid has reduced by half to create a wonderfully comforting, fragrant stew.
Serve hot with injera, rice, or whole grain bread, though we definitely enjoyed leftovers the next day.
Notable Ingredients
I prepared the Ye Beg Alicha Wot with Kibe. Kibe (Niter Kibbeh) is an Ethiopian clarified butter infused with herbs and spices such as black pepper, turmeric, fenugreek seed, and cumin. I especially love the smell as it melts in the pan.
Luladey has listed oil (olive oil or vegetable oil) as an option if kibe is not available.
For those in Northern Virginia, I was able to find Kibe, the Injera, and other items at Worlds Food/Alem Gebeya in Alexandria.
For those in Los Angeles, there are a few markets and other fantastic restaurants on S Fairfax Avenue in Little Ethiopia just south of Los Angeles County Museum of Art and La Brea Tar Pits.
Ye Beg Key Wot (Spicy Lamb Stew)
Want to add a bit more heat? Luladey states to swap the turmeric with 1/4 cup berbere to make Ye Beg Key Wot (Spicy Lamb Stew).
Other Dishes
I also made Chechebsa (Ethiopian Breakfast Dish), Minchet Abish Wot (Spicy Ground Beef Stew), Meat Lasagna (Ethiopian Version), and Spris (Layered Juice).
The Chechebsa (Ethiopian Breakfast Dish) is quickly becoming a favorite way to start the day. Homemade pieces of a simple flatbread are torn and tossed in a kibe (or olive oil) berbere mixture.
I made the Minchet Abish Wot (Spicy Ground Beef Stew) to use up some leftover ground beef. It comes together in under thirty minutes with only a handful of ingredients to create quite the delicious easy meal. The ground beef is simmered with onions, ginger, garlic, cardamom, and plenty of berbere. Luladey also mentions a more mild option called Ye Minchet Abish Alicha Wot with turmeric.
Luladey has included recipes for both an Ethiopian Meat Lasagna and a Vegetarian version. The Meat Lasagna was absolutely amazing with layers of lasagna noodles, a spicy tomato meat sauce, and four types of cheese. I can’t wait to try the vegetarian lasagna with spinach soon.
The Spris (Layered Juice) is the very last recipe in the book. I was immediately drawn to the vibrant colors. This pureed fruit smoothie is packed with layers of papaya, avocado, mango, and a strawberry kiwi mixture for the top.
Enebla is a fantastic pick for those interested in Ethiopian cuisine. There is a wonderful variety of both meat-based and vegetarian/vegan dishes along with mild and spicy options for every occasion. The recipes have been developed with the home cook in mind. Due to traditions of eating together family-style, most of the serving sizes are for 4-6 people (and often leftovers are even better the next day).
Many of the ingredients are becoming more readily available in larger American grocery stores. A few items that may require an Ethiopian market include berbere, beso duket, kibe, bula powder, shiro flour, mitmita, teff, tikur azmud, gesho entchet, and raw Ethiopian coffee beans.
Ye Beg Alicha Wot (Ethiopian Mild Lamb Stew) Recipe
Excerpt from Enebla
Ye Beg Alicha Wot (Ethiopian Mild Lamb Stew)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (1 kilogram) lamb shoulder or leg of lamb, cut into 1-2 inch (2.5-5 centimeter) cubes
- 2 large yellow onions diced
- 3 tablespoons kibe (Niter Kibbeh) or 1/2 cup oil
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 4 cloves garlic diced
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 cups (280 milliliters) water
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- Salt
Instructions
- Place the lamb in a medium pot and add enough water to cover it by 2 inches (5 centimeters). Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is rare to medium-rare but not fully cooked, about 5-8 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, drain, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, add the onions and oil to a separate pot. Cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until just beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the turmeric, making sure it does not clump. Add 2 cups (480 milliliters) of water and bring to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling, add the lamb to the boiling sauce and stir. Turn down the heat to low, add the coriander, cardamom, and salt to taste, and stir.
- Cover the pot and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by half and the sauce is moderately thick, 20-25 mintues.
- Serve hot with injera, rice, or your favorite whole grain bread.
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