Lentils w/ Calabaza Squash & Coconut Oil

This calabaza squash lentil recipe is a simplified take on Ethiopian Misir Wat
with readily available ingredients that I actually have on hand. Misir Wat is an
Ethiopian-style red lentil dish that ordinarily contains niter kibbeh, onions,
tomatoes, and berbere. I am plum out of tomatoes, but do have the vast majority
of spices that go into berbere and have seasoned this dish with calabaza squash,
habaneros, garlic, turmeric, red onions, coconut oil, red lentils, cloves,
coriander, cumin, fenugreek, salt, and pepper.

Servings: 3 cups

Author:

Prep Time
15 minutes

Cook Time
45 minutes

Total Time
1 hour

Course:

Main Course

Cuisine:

ethiopian

Instructions

1 I used Roasted Calabaza Squash
[https://catfishoutofwater.com/the-fundamentals-of-roasted-calabaza-squash/] in
this recipe. This takes a couple of hours and requires a calabaza (or other
squash or pumpkin of choice) as well as aluminum foil and a baking dish.
2 Add calabaza squash, habanero, and garlic to a food processor. Purée for 30
seconds, or until smooth.

When I roasted the calabaza squash, I puréed half of it and froze the rest
whole. If you puréed all of it, simply skip this step and mince the habanero and
garlic. I just puréed them all together to saved time, but it isn't necessary!
The flavor profile will be the same, either way.
3 I also used Fresh Turmeric in Olive Oil
[https://catfishoutofwater.com/the-fundamentals-of-preserving-fresh-turmeric/].
You can easily substitute dried turmeric. But there is something particularly
refreshing about fresh turmeric! And, if you can find it, mincing it and
preserving in olive oil is the key to longevity.
4 Add all of the ingredients to a rice cooker (squash purée with habanero and
garlic, turmeric, red onion, coconut oil, spices, salt, pepper, lentils, and
water).
5 Grind whole cloves, coriander, cumin, and fenugreek in a mortar and pestle.

A lot of the time I prefer whole spices and grinding them in a mortar and
pestle. I used whole cloves, coriander, cumin, and fenugreek. You can easily
substitute ground spices and mix and match whatever you have on hand. A lot of
the time berbere also includes dried chilis, garlic, onion, turmeric, ginger,
peppercorns, allspice, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc. I used several of these
ingredients already in the recipe, didn't have them in whole spices, or felt
like they were redundant. Part of cooking is making what you have and what you
like work for you! So, feel free to mix it up to your own needs and tastes.
6 Press the cook button on the rice cooker. While lentils aren't rice, it does
cook the same and oftentimes better than rice in a rice cooker. It typically
takes 30-45 minutes.
7 When the lentils is fully cooked, fluff with a wooden spoon and serve.

Do not use a fork or other metal utensil. It will scratch off the nonstick
surface on the rice cooker. This will leach teflon into your food and cause
future dishes to stick to the bottom!

Lentils w/ Calabaza Squash & Coconut Oil

Course:

Cuisine:

🧂 Ingredients

Instructions

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