Ethiopian injera does two jobs at once: it's the plate and the utensil, a spongy sour flatbread you tear off in pieces to scoop up whatever's sitting on top. Made from teff and left to ferment for a couple of days, it's the perfect base for a rich, spiced red lentil stew. If you like this style of spiced lentils, our simple spiced lentil dal is a close cousin, and garri and vegetable stew is another scoopable, West African-style stew worth trying. For a different legume entirely, see our chickpea spinach coconut curry.
Ingredients
- 2 cups teff flour
- 2 1/2 cups water, plus more as needed
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 2 tbsp berbere spice blend
- 2 tbsp niter kibbeh or olive oil
- 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Whisk the teff flour with the water in a large bowl until smooth. Cover loosely and let sit at room temperature for 2-3 days, stirring once daily, until the batter smells pleasantly sour and shows small bubbles.
- Stir the salt into the fermented batter, thinning with a little extra water if it's thicker than heavy cream.
- Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat, pour in a thin layer of batter in a spiral, and cover. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the surface is covered in small holes and set; injera is cooked on one side only. Repeat with remaining batter.
- For the stew, heat the niter kibbeh in a pot and sauté the onion until soft, about 6 minutes.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and berbere and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in the lentils, tomatoes, and broth. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils break down into a thick stew. Season with salt.
- Serve the stew spooned over a piece of injera, with extra injera alongside for scooping.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| Calories | 420 |
| Total fat | 9g |
| Total carbohydrates | 68g |
| Dietary fiber | 14g |
| Protein | 19g |
| Sodium | 560mg |
Why This Is Good for Your Gut
Teff's tiny grains contain resistant starch that survives digestion in the small intestine and reaches the colon, where it ferments into short-chain fatty acids like butyrate that feed the cells lining the gut wall. The days-long wild fermentation of the batter adds lactic acid bacteria on top of that, while the red lentils bring another dose of soluble fiber to the plate.
One meal, two separate fermentation projects, zero regrets.
This recipe is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional dietary advice.
