If you glossed over the word Ethiopian in the title of this dish and had only read the recipe, you probably would have thought it was an Indian dish. And that would have been a pretty good guess. Ethiopian cuisine is highly influenced by Indian spices and flavors and this dish definitely reminds me of one of my favorite recipes (spicy cabbage).
But this cabbage dish gets beefed up with some potatoes and carrots to help make things a bit more filling. The original recipe didn’t include any heat, but I’m never one to miss an opportunity to spice things up.
It’s total comfort food with an added bonus of being chock-full of veggies and cancer-fighting spices like turmeric and ginger. And considering that my usual comfort foods tend to be things like macaroni and cheese, cookies, and chocolate, I’m happy to add a healthier option to the list.
Ethiopian Cabbage, Potato and Carrot Stir-Fry
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
* 1/3 cup nit’ir qibe or vegetable oil
* 1 onion, thinly sliced
* 4 carrots, thinly sliced
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1-inch piece fresh, peeled ginger, minced
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 head cabbage, shredded
* 5 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
* freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* berbere, to taste (optional)
Directions:
Heat the nit’ir qibe or oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the carrots, garlic and ginger and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the cumin, turmeric, salt and cabbage and stir to coat the cabbage with the spices. Cook, stirring occasionally another 10 minutes.
Add the potatoes, stir to combine, and then cover. Cook, stirring once or twice, until the potatoes are soft. Taste and add salt, if necessary, and black pepper to taste. If you’d like to add some heat, add berbere to taste.