Atakilt Wat (Ethiopian Vegetable Stew)

Today, No Free Lunch is proud to celebrate its 100th post! Due to end of semester madness, it's been more than a month since my last post, but I'm hoping to pick up the pace again soon. I'm also dipping my foot into Twitter, and I am posting all blog updates there, as well. You can follow me there @SebastianWai.

Looking back at the past 99 posts, there are many I am very proud of, and others that clearly need work. My all-time most popular has been my recipe for Galinha à Portuguesa, which is actually on the first page of Google hits for that dish. The second most popular, the recipe for "tongue depressors," is actually one I may have to revisit, as I have vastly improved the dish over the last three years with my increased knowledge of Chinese ingredients and techniques. Perhaps this means I've carved out a tiny internet niche in obscure Chinese dishes. In any case, I'm looking forward to another 100 chances to share some fun and unique recipes. Today is no exception, featuring my first African dish on the blog.

One evening a few months ago, I was trying digging through the fridge, trying to figure out what to make for dinner. I found I had about half a head of cabbage and some carrots, so I did a Google search for "cabbage and carrots" and came across what I now know to be called "atakilt wat," an Ethiopian stew. This dish is easy to make, and it consists completely of ingredients I generally have on hand. In many of the recipes I've shown recently, the moisture retained in cabbage is a problem that we address by salting it ahead of time; this time, though, the water in the cabbage is the basis for the stew. The result is a gentle and aromatic dish that is great on its own or as an accompaniment.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 2 Tbs minced ginger
• 4 cloves minced garlic (about 2 Tbs)
• 1 lb red potatoes (about 5 small ones)
• 3/4 lb carrots, peeled
• 1 1/2 Tbs ground turmeric
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 lb green cabbage, roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil

Instructions

It is a good idea to prepare the vegetables ahead of time, as there is a lot of chopping. I cut the carrots into pieces about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long, then halved or quartered them according the thickness. I cut each potato into 8 pieces, but you may want to do more with bigger potatoes (to get an idea of size, my potatoes were 5 to a pound).

Onion, garlic, and ginger cooking

Heat olive oil on medium-high in a dutch oven or large pot with a lid. Cook the onion for a few minutes, until starting to soften and brown. Add ginger and garlic and cook another minute, stirring frequently. Add the potatoes, carrots, turmeric, and water. Stir together and cover. Cook for a few more minutes. 

Note the difference in liquid from the lead photo

Next, turn the heat down to low and add the cabbage, one handful at a time. Stir in each batch until slightly wilted, then add more. Once all the cabbage is in, cover and cook for about 45 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes. Once done, the potatoes and carrots will be completely soft and the cabbage will have sweated out. As always, taste and adjust seasoning. I added both salt and pepper. The stew can be served on its own, with rice, or (if you have it) Ethiopian bread.