Berbere - the spice of Ethiopia!
The great Ethiopian spice blend of chilies, peppercorns, coriander, cumin, cardamom, Fenugreek, cloves, paprika both sweet and smoked, ginger, Cinnamon and nutmeg is a complex and versatile spice mix that tastes amazing.
Perfect for marinating all kinds of meat, adding to stews, burgers, meatballs even sprinkle on fresh pineapple as the natives do! This is one of my go to spice mixes and probably use it most months.
Ethiopian Chicken and Lentils
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Winter Warmer
Servings
2
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
35-40 minutes
Lentils, chicken and Berbere spice - what's not to love!
Perfect winter food that I eat all year round. Lentils are no eaten enough in this country. Try the heart warming dish the whole family will enjoy.
Simon
Ingredients
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2 tbsp Spice Pantry Berbere blend (half for the sauce the rest to rub into the chicken)
6 Skin-on chicken thighs or 2 skinless/boneless breasts
- 80g whole green lentils
- 700ml water
- 320g diced onion
5 cloves garlic minced or 2½ tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp fresh ginger or 1 tbsp paste/ ¼ tsp powder
- 130g diced carrot
- 150g diced tomato
- 1 tsp salt (for the lentils)
olive oil
Directions
Let's Cook!
Stove Top
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In a large saucepan sauté the onions, carrots, garlic and ginger in 2 tbsp of olive oil for about 5 minutes or until tender, making sure you stir regularly.
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Add the Spice Pantry berbere blend and sauté for one minute stirring constantly. Add the lentils, diced tomatoes, salt and water, bring it to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Lets cook the chicken whilst the sauce is simmering.
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Dry off the chicken and season with salt and pepper, rub in the remaining Spice Pantry Berbere Blend.
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Cook the chicken skin side down (if using thighs) on a medium heat in a frying pan with olive oil until it's golden - about 8 minutes. Cover the frying pan with a lid as this keeps the chicken moist
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Turn the chicken over and cook for a further 8 minutes. Make sure its fully cooked. If you don’t have a thermometer buy one! There cheap and I use mine practically every day.
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Add the cooked chicken to the sauce and reduce down to desired consistency. It’s ready to eat.
Slow Cooker
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In a large frying pan add 2 tbsp of oil and cook the onions, carrots, garlic, ginger and chicken for 5 minutes. The chicken should be golden brown. Then add all of the spice mix, increase the heat and stir for one minute. Add ingredients to a slow cooker.
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Place the remaining ingredients in the slow cooker making sure it is mixed thoroughly. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours. It’s ready.
Serving suggestion
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Serve with rice and some fresh crusty bread.
Recipe Note
This blend can be used by vegetarians by swapping out the meat for a meat-free option but be careful as the timings may differ.
