I’ve partnered with my favorite broth brand Aneto to bring you this recipe.
One of Ethiopia’s most popular vegetarian dishes, Misir Wat showcases lentils in a way that’s unlike any you’ve had before. The flavor is simply out of this world! Vegetarian-friendly and so delicious that even devout carnivores won’t miss the meat!
It’s been said that the best vegetarian cuisines in the world are Indian and Ethiopian and I can’t disagree. The flavor profiles of both cuisines bring even the blandest ingredients to life with their rich combinations of spices and herbs.
Misir Wat (also Misir Wot) is one such example of a dish that truly excels in the vegetarian realm. A dish featuring red lentils, an abundantly available crop, Misir Wat is a staple dish throughout Ethiopia and one of the most popular vegetarian dishes in Ethiopian restaurants. If you order a mixed combination platter at an Ethiopian restaurant or order vegetarian, misir wat is almost always among the selections.
Misir wat starts with onions that are slowly caramelized in niter kibbeh, Ethiopia’s popluar and incredibly flavorful spiced clarified butter. Garlic and tomato paste are added. The comes a generous dose of berbere, Ethiopia’s famous chili seasoning blend. It’s normally fiery-hot (and what you get in Ethiopia is even hotter than what you typically find outside of the country), but our blend tones down the heat and gives you the option of adding it according to your preference.
The lentils are then slow-simmered with these highly aromatic and flavorful ingredients until they’re soft. Another spoonful of niter kibbeh and berbere are added in at the end for an added boost of flavor.
Misir wat is typically served with injera, Ethiopia’s staple fermented flatbread that’s also used as an eating instrument to scoop up the lentils.
Let’s get started!
Melt 3 tablespoons of the niter kibbeh in a medium stock pot. Add the onions and cook over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
Add the garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste and 1 tablespoon of the berbere and cook for 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat if needed to prevent burning.
Next we’re adding the broth. As with everything I recommend using the best ingredients you can find and the broth we love and recommend with enthusiasm is Aneto. We visited their factory in Barcelona Spain a year ago and watched the entire broth-making process from start to finish. It was so inspiring! Check out our post about it and take a virtual tour.
Aneto selects fresh, free-range chicken and the freshest vegetables and slow-simmer it in gigantic pots for several hours to produce the highest quality broths on the market. No concentrates, powders, artificial ingredients, “natural flavors”, GMO’s, fillers or flavor enhancers of any kind. Just pure, whole, real ingredients. We love and highly recommend Aneto.
For misir wat you can use either chicken broth or if you’re vegetarian, vegetable broth.
Aneto’s broths are sold in store locations throughout the U.S., please see the store list find a store near you. Alternatively you can also find them on Amazon, though the prices are higher there. The best value is the 6-pack chicken broth. See also the vegetable broth.
Stir in the remaining tablespoon of niter kibbeh and berbere. Simmer for a couple more minutes. Add salt to taste.
Enjoy!
STRONGLY RECOMMENDED FOR BEST FLAVOR RESULTS: MAKE YOUR OWN NITER KIBBEH AND BERBERE!
Misir Wat (Ethiopian Spiced Red Lentils)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons niter kibbeh , divided
- Homemade Niter Kibbeh (strongly recommended)
- 1 large yellow onion, very finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 Roma tomato, very finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons bebere , divided
- Homemade Berbere (strongly recommended)
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 2 1/2 cups Aneto All-Natural Chicken Broth
- vegetarians: use Aneto Vegetable Broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Melt 3 tablespoons of the niter kibbeh in a medium stock pot. Add the onions and cook over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
- Add the garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste and 1 tablespoon of the berbere and cook for 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat if needed to prevent burning.
- Add the broth and salt, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover and simmer the lentils, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes (adding more broth if needed) or until the lentils are soft.
- Stir in the remaining tablespoon of niter kibbeh and berbere. Simmer for a couple more minutes. Add salt to taste.
- Serve with Ethiopian injera.
Nutrition
Thank you to Aneto for sponsoring this recipe and to my readers for supporting the brands who help make The Daring Gourmet possible!
Patricia crow says
I made this all from scratch. Wonderful process that increased my enjoyment of the dish. Just excellent. Many thanks.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Patricia, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Jennifer says
Hello – I am cross referencing your recipe for Misir Was with other recipes on the internet for KiK Alicha (yellow split peas) to try and use your techniques. I love your Ethiopian recipes and just made a fresh batch of Niter Kibbeh today and want to make Kik Alicha. Haven’t found a recipe online that even suggests using using Niter Kibbeh for this dish! Would love to see a recipe from you for this.
Also, have a question on the onion preparation in general : My daughter loves Kik Alicha but doesn’t traditionally love ‘bits’ of onion. Could I puree the onion and caramelize slowly as in the preparation for Doro Wat?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Jennifer! :) I have several Ethiopian dishes on my long “to publish” list, so yes, there are more coming :) Yes, you can absolutely puree the onion for the Kik Alicha, no problem at all.
Alicia says
Perfection!Beautifully layered spices. Didn’t find I needed to double or triple spices as I usually do in most recipes written by/for Western cooks. I did have to double the broth ( appreciated the nudge to increase liquids if needed) as the tomato/lentil mix was very thick to begin with, but other than that the recipe was perfection.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad, Alicia, thank you very much!
Michele says
I used Frontier berbere spice blend which has cayenne in it so it was almost too spicy but it was still delicious!
Jennifer says
Will split red lentils work? That’s all I could find.
The label says split Masur red lentils.
And do they need to be soaked beforehand?
Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jennifer, yes, split red lentils are exactly what you need and no, they don’t need to soaked. Happy cooking!
m lo says
I love your ethiopian recipes. I’ve made the Bebere, and the niter kibbeh, and these lentils are amazing with them. The injera recipe I used from this website was definitely not successful for me, but these lentils? Oh my god these lentils.
Delicious.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, m lo, I appreciate that! Yes, the injera has a sharp learning curve for sure, especially if you’re using teff. The lentils are much more straightforward! :)
Anonymous says
Usually can never follow a recipe step for step because it lacks flavor but this recipe is wonderful. So much flavor! Excited I can enjoy Ethiopian dishes at home now.
C says
Thanks so much for this recipe and the homemade berbere powder!!! I haven’t had time yet to make niter kibbeh but hope to soon; love Ethiopian food so much and miss all the restaurants in DC. Hope to do the collard greens and potato cabbage soon too :)
Sheri says
OMG this is sooo good! There used to be an Ethiopian cafe near work but since retiring I don’t go down there. I thought hers were the best, but these are amazing! I made my own niter kibbeh from your recipe, delicious.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Sheri, I’m thrilled you enjoyed both the lentils and the niter kibbeh!
DONNA FLYNN says
Fantastic! I use about half of the berbere because it’s a bit hot for me, but these are just great!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Donna, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Katherine says
Wonderful – how big is a serving?
Ron says
Delicious.. We used Frontier ready-mixed berbere Spice mix. Just right for me, but probably too spicy/hot for children.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Ron, thank you!
Alex says
Wow, delicious! I do not recall it was ever as flavorful in the ethiopian restaurant. I made an effort to make niter kibbeh though I have to admit I used ready made berbere because I lacked some spices. In the end i made berbere and mine tasted completely different from the store one. Probably ten times better too. Anyway, I shall definitely try all the ethiopean recipes, thanks for that!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Alex, I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that, thank you! Happy cooking and I hope you enjoy my other Ethiopian recipes as well! :)
Brian says
Rarely do I bother commenting on recipes, but this recipe came out fantastic. My local Ethiopian restaurant is VERY good, but I think this is even better than their miser wot. Definitely adding this to the regular rotation.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s awesome, Brian, thank you so much!
Chari says
My family eats Ethiopian food at least once a month. I waa pleased to find your recipe and was AMAZED at how good it turned out. I’ve made this dish twice in 2 weeks. I doubled it this time around in hopes of it lasting longer than a day. *fingers crossed*
I will be trying your collard recipe next. 😊
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so thrilled to hear that, Chari, thank you!
Becky Farrell says
Oh my goodness. This was incredible! Your recipes are wonderful. This will be a staple, and the nitre kibbeh is life changing. Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Yay, I’m so glad you enjoyed both of the recipes, Becky, thanks so much for your feedback!
Stephani @ In Fine Fettle says
This recipe is delicious! I needed it to be quicker so I did it in the Instant Pot. I also used coconut oil instead of ghee because I didn’t have any and I couldn’t taste the coconut flavor at all. In the instant pot it took 12 minutes of pressure and 10 minute natural release. Thank you for this recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Stephani, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Jen says
If you can’t find the ghee, and don’t have time to make it, what’s the best substitute?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jen, you can use regular cooking oil instead. Happy cooking!
Alyssa says
I love this recipe!! I make one similar, but I put it on flatbread with goat cheese :-)
lakshmi says
Tried this with home made berebere spice powder ( as an indian household ,i have all those spices readily available). came very well and very flavorful.
thanks for sharing.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Iakshmi, I’m so glad you made and enjoyed both of the recipes!
Dee says
Has become a staple in out home! this dish is so flavorful! It can be made vegan which is awesome!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Dee, thanks so much!
D says
I have never used as many spices and herbs in my life. I see now what I’m missing out on. This is what real cooking taste like. I can’t wait to try other recipes. Thanks a million!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, D, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
D says
It came out magically delicious! Thank you so much.
Bee Gee says
Excellent!
For those of us not familiar with Ethiopian Foods, what are the names of the other foods in the picture and do you have any recipes or recommended links/recipes for those?
Thank you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Bee Gee! I have recipes for four of the other items in the photo:
Doro Wat: https://www.daringgourmet.com/doro-wat-spicy-ethiopian-chicken-stew/
Sega Wat: https://www.daringgourmet.com/sega-wat-spicy-ethiopian-beef-stew/
Gomen: https://www.daringgourmet.com/gomen-ethiopian-collard-greens/
Injera: https://www.daringgourmet.com/authentic-injera-ethiopian-flatbread/
Sandi says
Layers flavors and delicious!
I substituted a can of diced tomatoes and instead of ghee, I used some previously made Ye’gimen Zeyet!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Sandi, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Bella says
Sounds wonderful and I can’t wait to try this. Does anyone know if it stores well in the fridge and reheats without the lentils falling apart to mush?
Jen says
Incredible! Misir wat has always been my favorite Ethiopian dish, however this is my first attempt trying to make anything Ethiopian. It turned out so well – spicy and bursting with flavor. In the words of my sig other “I can’t get this in my face fast enough”. I used your recipe for niter kebbeh as well, which was incredibly easy to make (made me question why I’d never made homemade ghee!). I followed your recipe for gomen as well, and served them each with a teff/wheat flour injera recipe that I found elsewhere. Can’t wait to try more Ethiopian recipes.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that, Jen, thanks so much!
Hillary says
Oh gosh. I was skeptical because my clarified butter was very old and my tomato situation was less than ideal (I had to use salsa for all of it!) but it turned out amazing. I’m so excited for my boyfriend to try it!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Hillary, thank you! Using salsa was a totally creative to substitute the tomatoes, well done!
Di says
Hi Kimberly, just wanted to thank you for this amazing recipe. I tried to make misir wat along with berbere and the clarified butter, all of which came out very very well. A very satisfying meal to conclude 2020. Thank you for your work and happy new year to you and loved ones!
Best,
Di
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Di, and Happy New Year to you and your loved ones also! :)