How To Make Misir Wat (Ethiopian Spiced Lentils)

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Photo shows Misir Wat served on Injera
Serve Misir Wat on Injera

Misir Wat is a stew of Ethiopian Spiced Lentils. With Niter Kibbeh and Berbere for flavor this lentil stew is very flavorful and can be quite spicy if you want. Recipes for both the Niter Kibbeh and Berbere can be found by clicking on the links.

This recipe is naturally gluten free.

Watch a Video

Here is a video of 2 Cooks in the Kitchen making Misir Wat.

Cook Onions In Spiced Butter

We begin this recipe by heating our niter kibbeh (Ethiopian spiced butter) in a large stockpot over medium heat. Once the butter is melted we will add our onions. We want to cook these for about 10 minutes and get them good and softened. They look so good with a golden glow after cooking n the spiced butter!

Photo shows the onions after cooking 10 minutes
Onions After 10 Minutes

Tomatoes and Berbere

Next we will add our garlic, tomato paste, chopped tomato and berbere. We are using 1 tablespoon of the berbere here but you can use more if you want it spicier.

Photo shows tomatoes going into the pot
Add tomatoes, tomato paste and berbere

Lentils and Broth

We’ll cook this together for about five minutes and let these flavors mellow and marry before we add the lentils, broth and salt. We are using chicken broth but if you want to make a vegetarian version of Misir Wat you can substitute vegetable broth.

Photo shows lentils and broth going into the pan
Add Lentils, Broth and Salt

Now we will bring this to a boil, reduce the heat and cook it on low for 40 minutes. That’s all there is to this dish.

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Misir Wat

This spicy Ethiopian lentil dish is easy to prepare and complements the sour injera and other Ethiopian stews nicely.

  • Author: 2 Cooks in the Kitchen
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 55 minutes
  • Total Time: 70 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Stew
  • Cuisine: Ethiopian
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 Tbls Niter Kibbeh
  • 1 Onion, diced
  • 5 Cloves Garlic, chopped
  • 1 Tomato, chopped
  • 3 Tbls Tomato Paste
  • 1 to 2 Tbls Berbere
  • 1 cup Red Lentils
  • 2 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
  • 1 tsp Salt

Instructions

  1. Heat the niter kibbeh in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic, tomato paste, tomato and berbere. Stir well and cook together for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the lentils, broth and salt, increase the heat and bring to a boil then reduce the heat and let simmer for 40 minutes.
  4. Serve with injera and other Ethiopian stews.

Notes

This recipe can be made vegetarian by substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

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