Lindsay Moeller, Author at TropicsgourmetTropicsgourmet

Ethiopian Spicy Stew, Ethiopian food, Ethiopian recipes, Ethiopian cuisine, Ethiopian recipes, vegetarian

Step-by-Step Recipe: Spicy Ethiopian Stew

It’s fall in the Midwest, which means that temperatures are dropping. When a cold virus hit my household last weekend, the combination of chilly weather and illness meant one thing: stew. This couldn’t just be any ordinary stew. It also needed to have some spice. Not only that, but it had to be simple. I also wanted to try something new.

With just a little searching, I found the perfect solution: Spicy Ethiopian Stew. The recipe has been adapted from Connoiseurus Veg

This is a vegan, gluten free, nut free recipe with lentils as the protein, so it would work well if you happen to be entertaining—so long as your guests can handle a little bit of spice. And it is ready in about 30 minutes!

What’s really special about this recipe is the use of the berbere spice blend. It adds that North African flavor I was looking for (and really clears the sinuses!). While the potatoes in this recipe are not typical for this recipe, the starch is a nice addition to the stew to make it more filling.

Follow this recipe step-by-step to have a quick, delicious, and spicy stew for any occasion.

Spicy Ethiopian Stew Recipe

Spicy Ethiopian Stew

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Spicy Ethiopian Stew. Vegetarian.

Author: Lindsay Moeller

Recipe type: Entree

Ingredients

1.5 C dried lentils
3 C spinach leaves
. 75lb red potatoes
1-14 oz can diced tomatoes
.5 red onion, diced
1 T berbere spice blend (I purchased mine from Penzey’s)
1 T cayenne pepper
3 cloves of minced garlic
2 tsp grated ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
Turmeric to taste
4 C vegetable broth
3 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Basmati rice

Instructions

Before turning on your stove: dice your onion, rinse and slice your red potatoes into bite-sized pieces, measure your spices, mince your garlic, grate your ginger, slice your spinach and set them all aside. Open the can of diced tomatoes.
Add your oil to your pan and let it heat for a minute or two on medium heat. Add your onion and sauté until soft, about five minutes.
Add the spices (berbere, cayenne pepper, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper) and let sauté for two minutes more.
Add 4 C of vegetable broth, .75 lbs of diced red potatoes, 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, 1.5 C of lentils and bring to a simmer. Put the lid on your pan and let all of those flavors mingle for about 30 minutes.
While stew is simmering, prep the rice. Add olive olive to sauce pan and then add 90-second basmati rice. Add turmeric to taste and color.
After the 30 minutes of simmering are up, you have one thing left to do: add the spinach to the dish and put the lid back on the pan for two minutes. When the two minutes are up, stir the spinach into the dish.

Ingredients:

Protein:

1.5 C dried lentils

Veggies:
3 C spinach leaves

. 75lb red potatoes

1-14 oz can diced tomatoes

.5 red onion, diced

Spices:

1 T berbere spice blend (I purchased mine from Penzey’s)

1 T cayenne pepper

3 cloves of minced garlic

2 tsp grated ginger

Salt and pepper to taste

Turmeric to taste

Base:

4 C vegetable broth

Other:

3 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Side:

Basmati rice

Step-by-Step Directions for Spicy Ethiopian Stew

Before turning on your stove: dice your onion, rinse and slice your red potatoes into bite-sized pieces, measure your spices, mince your garlic, grate your ginger, slice your spinach and set them all aside. Open the can of diced tomatoes.

Now, you’re ready to get cooking!

First, add your oil to your pan and let it heat for a minute or two on medium heat. Add your onion and sauté until soft, about five minutes.

Next, add the spices (berbere, cayenne pepper, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper) and let sauté for two minutes more.

Now add 4 C of vegetable broth, .75 lbs of diced red potatoes, 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, 1.5 C of lentils and bring to a simmer. Put the lid on your pan and let all of those flavors mingle for about 30 minutes.

While your stew is simmering, you can prep your rice if you’d like a side. Since I was sick and running low on energy, I simply dumped a package of 90-second basmati rice into a second pan and added a splash of olive oil. I turned the stove on low and added turmeric until I got the yellow color I wanted. Turmeric is one of my favorite parts of this recipe, as it is a strong antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory effects, among other health benefits.

After the 30 minutes of simmering are up, you have one thing left to do: add the spinach to the dish and put the lid back on the pan for two minutes. When the two minutes are up, stir the spinach into the dish.

Next: plate your dish and enjoy!

Let us know how delicious the dish was in the comments.

5 of the Best Food Cities in the World

“Where do you want to eat?” is a common question for date night, but it can also help when determining where you take your next vacation. All over the world there are delicious dishes to be tasted and entirely new types of cuisine to explore. With all of the options, how does a world traveler decide? To help you find your next food adventure, we have listed 5 of the best food cities in the world.

5 of the Best Food Cities in the World

Bridgetown, Barbados

Find restaurants and street vendors with Bajan dishes comprised of fresh fish, grass-fed beef, plantains, rice, peas. The national dish is cou-cou and flying fish. Cou-cou is made of cornmeal and okra, and the flying fish is flavored with a special Bajan seasoning. For a great take on the dish, and other gourmet Caribbean fare, visit the Waterfront Cafe.

To experience a variety authentic Bajan cuisine, you can take a walking food tour. Lickrish Food Tours provides daily, 3-hour tours Monday through Friday. The tour is ranked #1 by TripAdvisor and boasts off-the-beaten-path experience with 8+ authentic tastings for only $59 USD. Not only will you learn about the food of Bridgetown, but you’ll also get a taste of the history and culture.

Rome, Italy

Some of the more obvious selections are the authentic pizza and pasta you’ll be able to find. However, the street food in Rome is some of the best in the world. Among the best foods to try include supplì classico, a ball of rice laced with ragù and stuffed with mozzarella, or get a trappizino, pizza dough stuffed with your choice of fillings, from Trappizino. Some of these delicious food items can be tasted if you opt to take a food tour. The Secret Food Tour offers daytime, evening, and Sunday tours and takes you on a journey of the history and culture of Rome while you eat your way through the city. On the tour, taste authentic Italian espresso, supplì, pizza, gelato and more.

Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town has a wide variety of foods that include indigenous cuisine, and colonial and global influences. Find fish and chips from the country’s British influence, and bobotie, an Indonesian creation comprised of minced beef, custard spices, and dried fruit.

You can learn to make bobotie and other South African dishes like Cape Malay curry while you tour the Bo-Kaap through the Bo-Kaap Cooking Tour with Zainie Misbach. This tour allows you to learn South African cooking techniques, while also seeing historic and religious Islamic sites and exploring one of the oldest urban residential areas in Cape Town.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

This Mexican destination is a treasure trove of gourmet cuisine and hole-in-the-wall taquerias. Try the octopus tacos at Los Claros, or los mejores tacos from Tacos Marissa. Beyond an abundance of excellent options for taquerias, visitors should try chocolate clams, an array of seafood and the traditional Tamales Fadados (chicken tamales).

For a more hands-on experience, take a traditional Mexican cooking class at Casa de Colores with Donna Somerlott in either a small group or private setting. To get a big bite of Cabo San Lucas, purchase your tickets to Sabor a Cabo and sample from 50 Cabo San Lucas restaurants at Los Cabos International Food & Wine.

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Find authentic Jamaican cuisine in Ocho Rios, such as the typical breakfast and national dish of ackee and saltfish. The dish is salt fish, or salt cod, sauteed with onion and the local fruit, ackee. Other popular dishes include jerk chicken, corned beef and curry goat.

Boasting “a taste of history” visitors can take the Nyam An Guh Weh Tour (eat and leave) from Falmouth the Ocho Rios. The five and a half hour tour has five tastings from streetside eats to elegant cuisine and takes participants on a cultural, architectural, and historical journey.

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5 of the Best Volunteer Abroad Programs

Adding a volunteer component to travel abroad offers participants the opportunity for affordable travel that will make a positive impact in communities all over the world. We have pulled together five of the best volunteer abroad programs that will allow you to learn about other cultures while giving back.

5 of the Best Volunteer Abroad Programs

1. GVI USA

GVI USA provides people starting at 14 years of age (with a guardian) and up with the opportunity to volunteer abroad for more than 150 volunteer projects. Causes for projects include wildlife conservation, women’s empowerment, teaching, healthcare, youth sports coaching, construction, and more. Since 1998, GVI has been coordinating volunteering travel programs in 21 locations in 13 countries on five continents.

What makes GVI stand out are its 10 ethical commitments that focus on sustainability and empowering communities. All programs are locally driven and created in collaboration with the communities, so volunteers can rest assured that the communities get what they need when they need it.

2. Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity Travel and Build builds homes for those in need globally. Programs include an itinerary that also allows for a day to explore the local food and culture during the trip. Program costs are inclusive of all expenses except for airfare, and they accept applicants 16 and older. There are projects in nearly 70 countries, including Argentina, Kenya, Portugal, and Thailand. Programs are all physically strenuous, so volunteers will need to be prepared to work up a sweat.

3. International Volunteer HQ

International Volunteer HQ has helped nearly 93,000 people volunteer abroad since 2007. With their reputation as the most affordable traveling volunteer organization, people who have a thirst for seeing the world have nearly 40 programs to choose from, even if they are on a budget. Programs in locations such as Africa, Asia, Europe, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Pacific start at just $295 plus fees, airfare and expenses, and volunteers can do a wide range of projects, such as childcare, teaching, wildlife conservation, construction, and more.

4. Love Volunteers

Love Volunteers promises life-changing cultural experiences for an affordable price, with the opportunity to do family and group volunteer projects, everyone will find a volunteering travel experience to meet their expectations. With more than 40 programs in Africa, Asia, Australasia, Central America, Europe, the Middle East, South America, and the Caribbean, Love Volunteers offers programs for people with a variety of experiences.

Some programs may require credentials or a resume, such as medical volunteer opportunities, but many offer training on-site. Love Volunteers offers a comprehensive help section and clear breakdowns of all fees and other costs associated with all of their programs. Programs start as low as $279, plus fees, airfare, and expenses, and volunteers can fundraise to help with their costs through fundmytravel.

5. Projects Abroad

Projects Abroad offers 28 volunteer abroad locations and 19 program types to traveling volunteers who want to experience a new culture while changing the world. One major differentiator of Projects Abroad is that the volunteer chooses the dates of their program, rather than selecting programs with set dates. Costs of each program are all-inclusive minus airfare and Visa costs (where applicable).

Projects Abroad has volunteer and internship programs for those ranging from age 4-14 (with parental supervision) to high school age to professionals in areas such as teaching, care, conservation & environment, medicine & healthcare, journalism, law & human rights, international development, business, and more.

If you would like to volunteer abroad, any of these organizations would be a reputable place to get in touch and ask questions to make sure you find the right program for you. All programs offer support to volunteers so they can get the volunteering travel experience they are looking for.