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Dorothy from Germany was kind enough to share a recipe with me that her daughter made right after she came home from Ethiopia at the age of 8. This is a very simple recipe that can be used on pasta, and may be just the thing to tempt the palates of newly arrived Ethiopian children. This recipe serves 3-4 persons.
Bethlehem’s Berbere Sauce
-5 medium sized onions, chopped very fine (or done in the food processor)
-3 medium sized tomatoes, peeled and chopped
-water, oil, berbere, salt
Stir fry the onions in a pan (without oil), stirring frequently. If necessary add a little bit of water from time to time to keep the onions from sticking as they cook. When the onions are soft, add the tomatoes.
Stir frequently while cooking for 2 or 3 minutes. Add oil. Bethlehem used at least 1-1/2 cups. Then add a generous amount of berbere. Bethlehem used at least 3-4 tablespoons, but you’ll probably want to experiment to learn how tolerant you are of the spice. Finish by adding salt according to your taste.
This sauce is excellent over cooked pasta or of course injera. Some families have found flour tortillas are acceptable substitutes to keep on hand when injera is not available.
Oh my stomach hurts and the pores on my face are filling up at the thought of that much oil. Authentic or not, there’s no way I’m putting that much oil in a sauce.
hehe—I’m sure you can make it with less oil. But you have to remember that the average Ethiopian does not chow down on 1/4 lb of meat in a meal like many Americans do after driving through McDonalds or Carl’s Junior. I doubt many eat Snicker’s bars either. I’m guessing oil is probably the cheapest way to get a little fat in their diets. And from what I saw, the Ethiopian heavy-on-oil diet produces far fewer fat people than American fast food!
grin…
Mary
Thank you! I’ve been making a mental list of all the things I want to do when we hit the waiting time of this adoption, and cook is one of them. This will be a good place to do some experimenting!
jen