http://captious.wordpress.com/2006/05/02/ethiopian-red-lentils-b/ The zest is a must Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:22:28 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 http://captious.wordpress.com/2006/05/02/ethiopian-red-lentils-b/#comment-3492 Ian Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:44:38 +0000 http://captious.wordpress.com/2006/05/02/ethiopian-red-lentils-b/#comment-3492 Umm... The key to good Ethiopian food is the spiced oil. Berbere is really hard to recreate at home... non of the recipes I've tried (many) taste like it, because it has ingredients that are totally unavailable in the states. "False basil" "False xxxx" "False etc." are name for plants that resemble that in the States, but are actually different; you are best to just order some. Also, plenty of vegetarian Ethiopian doesn't have Berbere in it, just the hotter dishes. Gomen, Atakilt, Kik Alicha, etc. don't need it. Make spiced oil with lots of fresh basil and oregano and your food will come out great though. I have been serving Ethiopian food in a restaurant setting for 10 years. Cookbook is on Amazon under Ian Finn. Good luck! Umm… The key to good Ethiopian food is the spiced oil. Berbere is really hard to recreate at home… non of the recipes I’ve tried (many) taste like it, because it has ingredients that are totally unavailable in the states. “False basil” “False xxxx” “False etc.” are name for plants that resemble that in the States, but are actually different; you are best to just order some. Also, plenty of vegetarian Ethiopian doesn’t have Berbere in it, just the hotter dishes. Gomen, Atakilt, Kik Alicha, etc. don’t need it. Make spiced oil with lots of fresh basil and oregano and your food will come out great though. I have been serving Ethiopian food in a restaurant setting for 10 years. Cookbook is on Amazon under Ian Finn. Good luck!

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