Ethiopian Groundnut Wat (Stew)

I wish I could start this post with, " I have been enjoying the people and rich culture here in ( insert small town in Ethiopia) I have especially been enjoying all of the wonderful, exotic flavors in the foods they eat here!" Alas, I have never been to Ethiopia or anywhere out of the country for that matter except for Mexico. Well I am not one to let the fact that I am not well traveled hinder my ethnic cuisine enjoyment. I love, adore, worship eating and trying new foods from far-away places. Isn't it wonderful after all to come across something entirely new to surprise your palate? I get a strange high when I can make a new ethnic dish all by myself in my home here in the suburbian desert. Notice I don't say "re-create" for I fully understand that my attempt to make "Ethiopian Groundnut Wat" or any other exotic dish could very well be an utter embarrassment or worse, insult to the people in question.

Well I think this dish turned out lovely, a true delight to eat a combination of flavors I would never have thought of putting together myself. I have to thank a fellow blogger, Vegan Aide at Weekly Vegan Menu for sharing one of her many wonderful dishes with me. I love her site not only because it is healthy, simple and she gives a cost breakdown of her meals but because she features flavorful meals from all across the globe! Score! Her site is Vegan as the title says which is wonderful I think because everybody could use more veggies in their daily lives. I have found that I have not given meat a second thought in the last few weeks since not eating it. I am not claiming vegetarianism since I don't plan on completely giving it up, just really limiting it.

O.k. so here's the wonderful recipe.

I threw in a bit more of everything to make more for my big fam, so I will just post her recipe straight from her site. I will say that I will use less peanut butter the next time I make this. Again, I was not measuring exactly (as usual) so I might have used to much. So while the peanut butter was an important addition for the cultural flair of this dish, I felt it smothered the other wonderful spices going on. I will also make sure to whisk it in a small amount of the hot liquid so it will incorporate into the dish better. I was getting big chunks of peantut butter in some bites.

* Changes I made:  Besides adding more of the ingredients, I used Organic Chicken broth instead of water ( I know, not vegan of me) and I sliced the onion in wedges instead of mincing because that's how I like them and I minced the ginger instead of infusing it into the dish, for more flavor. I also suggest using more cardamom, it was yummy but hardly noticable in my dish. I must say that roasting the cauliflower was an excellent idea as it adds a wonderful  flavor to the dish!  I put some of the veggies and lentils without the addition of the spices into my pressure cooker so my kids would eat this. I thought it was a little to much to ask for a 13 month old and a 4 and 5 year old to eat such a fragrant dish.  Bon Appetite!

Ingredients:

1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces

1 t olive oil

salt

1 t olive oil

1 onion, minced

2 carrots, peeled, chopped

2 garlic, minced

1 sweet potato, peeled, chopped

1/2 c red lentils

1/4 t chili pepper

2 cardamom pods, or 1/2 t ground

1 stick cinnamon

1/2 t fresh ground pepper

3 whole cloves

1 inch piece of ginger, bruised

2 tomatoes, chopped

2 c water

1/4 c peanut butter

salt to taste

1/4 c chopped peanuts

2 scallions, chopped



2 c arugula

lemon juice

salt







Putting it all together:



Toss the cauliflower in the olive oil, add salt and roast in a 350 oven for 30 minutes, or until the cauliflower is getting roasted, turning once.



In a large pot, heat the olive oil, add the onion, garlic, carrot, sweet potato, lentils, chili flakes, and the rest of the spices. Saute the vegetables until the onions are getting golden, stirring often.



Add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are broken up.



Add the water, cover and cook the stew until the lentils and sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.



When the cauliflower is ready add that and the peanut butter and stir well to mix. Add salt to taste.



Toss the arugula with the lemon juice and season with salt.

Serve garnished with scallions, peanuts and the arugula.



You may also put everything (except the peanut butter) in a crock pot and cook for 6 hours on low. Add the peanut butter in the last half hour. Roasting the cauliflower will give it a better flavor, too.