y'abesha gomen

I got introduced to Ethiopian food at Queen Of Sheba in downtown Indianapolis back in 1996. The proprietress was a very nice lady, very friendly, and the food was incredibly tasty. The last I heard, unfortunately, this charming restaurant had to close due to rising property taxes.

I *had* to learn how to cook Ethiopian food!

I've tried several recipes from several sources over the past 10 years and I think I've adapted the recipes to available ingredients fairly well.

This is a very simple collard greens dish that usually accompanies Injera.


Ingredients
1 bunch collard green leaves, (usually sold about 8-10 large leaves per bunch)
1 medium red onion, diced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
3 green chilies slit lengthwise (omit if you don't like the heat)
1" piece ginger
3 cloves of garlic
2 dry red chilies (less, if you prefer)
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice (optional)
spices:
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp allspice (or 1/4 tsp nutmeg)
1 tsp black pepper powder (optional)
salt to taste

water as needed


Preparation

1. pound the ginger, garlic, dry red chilies into a coarse paste and set aside
2. coarsely chop the collard greens, rinse well
3. heat the oil in a pan; add the onion, slit green chilies, tomatoes and the pounded paste from step 1 and sautee till onions turn translucent; add the paprika and stir it in
4. add the washed, chopped collard greens; add a cup of water and 1 tsp salt to start the greens cooking; stir and check frequently to make sure there is enough water till the greens cook enough to be soft but not mushy; drain any excess water, if necessary; this dish is fairly dry, not too soggy
5. off heat, stir in the black pepper powder and lemon juice; adjust salt to taste
6. serve warm with fresh injera, mesir wat, selatta, alicha and shero wat