Recipe(tried): Kik Wat (Yellow Split Pea Stew) (crock pot)

Natalie, I'm not sure if this will be up your alley, but today I am attempting to recreate a dish from an Ethiopian restaurant my family and I love.

Instead of the red lentils, I am using chana dal. It looks like yellow split peas, but has a much lower glycemic index.

After bringing it to a boil, as per the recipe, I put it into the slow cooker on "auto", (2 hours on high, then it switches to low. It should take about 6 hours total, in the slow cooker. Otherwise, you can follow the instructions included in the recipe, as is.

Enjoy!

Carolyn!

I am serving this as a side dish with a pork roast, basmati rice, and some sliced cucumbers.

MESIR WAT
(ETHIOPIAN RED LENTIL PUREE)
Servings: 4-6

2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp gingerroot, peeled, minced
1/4 cup oil, butter or niter kibbeh (I used 1 Tbsp butter and oil, each, in a non-stick pan)
1 tsp turmeric
2 Tbsp paprika
1/2 to 2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 lb red lentils (I only had 1 1/2 cups)
4 cups water or stock (so here I used 3 cups, but I will watch to see if it needs more liquid later. Or perhaps less, because it is in the slow cooker, who knows?)
Salt and pepper to taste

Puree onion, garlic, and ginger in a food processor or blender.

Heat oil, butter or niter kibbeh in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add turmeric, paprika and cayenne pepper and stir rapidly to color oil and cook spices through, about 30 seconds. Add onion puree and saute on medium heat until excess moisture evaporates and onion loses its raw aroma, about 5-10 minutes. Do not burn.

Add lentils and water. Bring to a boil and simmer till lentils are cooked through and fall apart, about 30-40 minutes. Add water if necessary to keep from drying out.

Stir in salt and pepper to taste and serve.

NOTES
Shiro Wat: use split green peas instead of lentils. Shiro wat is an Ethiopian Jewish dish. Substitute yellow lentils if you like.