Notes about Recipes in this book

• Berbere spice blend

  • imaluckyducky on August 05, 2021

    5 stars. This mix for berbere seasoning is one of the best I've had rivaling the Ethiopian restaurants I've gone to in Chicago. I used guajillo dried chilis and Thai basil from the garden - no need to dry it before using a coffee grinder to grind the spice mixture. For the chilis I removed all the seeds by accident and ended up with a completely non-spicy in "heat" department seasoning, so I had to add cayenne pepper to about half of it for the adult version. Made a double batch to have on hand.

• Fresh chili dipping sauce (Daata)

  • tresy on March 26, 2022

    1tbsp salt is insanely high. Assume it’s meant to be teaspoon.

• Flatbread pastries stuffed with egg (Fetira be enkulal)

  • lkgrover on November 29, 2019

    The frying & folding the pastry in a wok did not work easily for me, and the egg never completely cooked. If I attempt this again, I will try making the dough & filling similar to an empanada.

• Torn injera with flaxseed dressing (Telba fitfit)

  • tresy on March 03, 2025

    The recipe uses raw onion; this is clearly an editing mistake, especially when one compares a very similar fitfit recipe adjacent to this one, which calls for sauteed onion.

  • simon280586 on December 05, 2025

    Not sure I agree with tresy, the recipe states it's meant to be served cold, and the tomatoes and jalapenos are also uncooked.

• Braised beet batons with jalapeño peppers (Key sir)

  • jenburkholder on July 29, 2020

    This was a very nice, simple treatment of beets.

• Potatoes and cabbage in ginger turmeric sauce (Atakilt)

  • jenburkholder on July 29, 2020

    This wasn’t very good to us. Extremely bland. Would not repeat.

  • cjxn on December 16, 2020

    We loved this recipe. Easy to make. The flavors are soft, but they’re perfect for a side.

  • Etrnalhope on February 03, 2021

    Made this with carrots in place of potatoes (didn't have any). That may have added a little sweetness, which was really tasty. Nice side to a spicier dish.

  • imaluckyducky on August 05, 2021

    5 stars. The main flavors of this dish come from the turmeric, the garlic, and the ginger. Having fresh/newer batch of dried turmeric is absolutely key, and the recipe benefits from doubling the garlic and ginger and taking to heart "salting to taste." That said, this has a a nice, earthy flavor with a solid zing from the ginger and garlic. It's earthyness is perfect served with the spicy lentils (spicy) and the stewed string beans with tomatoes (sweet and juicy) and balances everything out. Borderline addictive. Will make again.

  • metacritic on October 01, 2021

    This is quite good, though it needs a good deal more salt than the recipe indicates. The ginger and garlic and turmeric shine making this a delicate, almost calming dish. It is a side, not the star of a meal.

  • metacritic on September 08, 2025

    Cooked again with new potatoes, which really shine here. A seasonal, produce-driven focus on these recipes really lifts this cookbook.

• Collard greens with onions and fresh ginger (Gomen)

  • purrviciouz on January 07, 2020

    This was fantastic and I would make this again as a side with roast chicken or part of a vegetarian platter.

  • jenburkholder on March 28, 2021

    These were fine but didn’t wow us, I prefer collards cooked with tomatoes.

  • metacritic on October 01, 2021

    Very good. Takes quite a bit longer to cook down than the recipe suggests but the garlic and ginger really shine in this preparation.

• Collard greens with spiced butter and mitmita (Gomen kitfo)

  • metacritic on June 20, 2022

    Almost no work at all once you have made the spiced butter and mitmita.A really nice preparation for collard greens.

• Potatoes and carrots in onion turmeric sauce (Dinich alicha)

  • metacritic on June 20, 2022

    Eatyourbooks lists heavy cream as an ingredient. The recipe in my version of the book did not. This was mild and quite good, though leaning toward the plain side.

• Sautéed string beans and carrots (Foselia)

  • jenburkholder on March 28, 2021

    Although very simple, the sweet sauce is delicious with the green beans and carrots (go heavy on the turmeric). The beans need a lot less cook time imo. Will repeat.

  • imaluckyducky on August 05, 2021

    5 stars. I echo the other reviewer - this recipe is simple and makes a delicious, sweet sauce out of fresh cut tomatoes and turmeric. I used the whole 5 Tbs of vegetable oil for the dish, which produced a very lovely sauce when the tomatoes cooked down. The oil can probably be halved but you may want to increase the amount of tomatoes or add a little water before thickening up the sauce. Again, good-quality fresher dried turmeric is key here as is having tomatoes with some good flavor. 5y/o approved. Will definitely make this part of the regular rotation with other Ethiopian food and as a regular side.

  • metacritic on September 08, 2025

    A great dish that improves with the quality of the produce. Farm fresh beans really shine here.

• Spicy pumpkin stew (Duba wat)

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on September 22, 2019

    Easy and spicy, really nice.

  • metacritic on October 01, 2021

    Very good. Quite hot. Requires a hefty amount of additional salt. I'd try halving the water next time so that it emerges as a stew, rather than a soup from which the pumpkin needs to be scooped out. I used kabocha, which worked perfectly.

  • kkmatti on November 13, 2023

    I used an acorn squash for this dish. It was quite good and matched well with the doro wat.

• Yellow split peas in a mild ginger and onion sauce (Ater kik alicha)

  • kkmatti on November 13, 2023

    This is usually one of my favorite dishes at Ethiopian restaurants but this version was just... ok. It seemed a little on the bland side and something was missing. I'll probably try a different recipe for this next time.

• Smooth shiro (Mitten shiro)

  • kkmatti on November 13, 2023

    This ended up being one of my favorite dishes that I made from this book. Super easy to make from chickpea flour and great in combination with other dishes. I'll make this one again.

• Spicy red lentils (Misr wat)

  • purrviciouz on January 22, 2020

    They were great on the first night but the flavor deepened when reheated as leftovers. This was by far the highlight of my vegetarian fasting plate.

  • imaluckyducky on August 05, 2021

    5 stars. Fabulous depth of flavor with little effort. Can halve the recommended amount of vegetable oil with no ill effect - I did so on my second batch. The flavors really bloom overnight and when reheated, and leftovers froze and defrosted well.

  • metacritic on June 20, 2022

    This was easy and flavorsome, as good as any dal I've made with far less work than a dal makhani. The nigella seed brought a lovely herbaceous note to the whole dish.

  • kkmatti on November 13, 2023

    This dish is usually one of my favorites at Ethiopian restaurants, but I found this version to be a little bland. It felt like something was missing. I agree with the other notes that the flavor improved the next day. I'll likely choose to use another recipe for this dish next time.

• Fried beef with onions (Siga tibs)

  • Etrnalhope on February 03, 2021

    Used koseret (as called for in the recipe) in place of oregano. I thought it would be dry or similar flavors to dishes I've made with berbere, but the mitmita (with koseret) is noticeably different and gives it a really lovely note. Instead of 2 TBSP cayenne, I used 1 TBSP cayenne and 1 TBSP paprika to tone down the spiciness, which was perfect for me! A splash of rice cooking wine gave it the right amount of moisture.

  • Clog on January 30, 2024

    Super easy to make. The mitmita gives it a nice kick.

• Spicy beef and fenugreek stew with potatoes (Abish wat)

  • lkgrover on March 05, 2023

    Good, spicy beef stew with tomatoes & potatoes. I substituted 1 can diced tomatoes & 1 can tomato sauce for the fresh tomatoes.

• Spicy beef stew with barley dough (Tihelo)

  • mjes on September 02, 2021

    I've not used my spice mill to make flour before - neither fast nor consistent but it works for this recipe. The beef is traditionally seasoned with tej, berbere. and niter kebbeh. I used fondue forks for serving. To eat: place meat and it's sauce in a bowl; spoon buttermilk sauce into center; take a ball of the barley dough on a fondue fork leaving the prongs free to spear the beef. When you spear the beef, both sauces should end up on the dough. Enjoy. This turns the meal into an eating adventure as you get the hang of getting the right proportions of the ingredients. While this is an enjoyable dish, I think I will focus my Ethiopian cooking on injira compatible dishes.

• Slow-cooked spicy chicken with hard-boiled eggs (Doro wat)

  • purrviciouz on January 07, 2020

    This was delicious, My husband was very excited. I served this with ginger and garlic collards and injera.

  • metacritic on June 20, 2022

    This is a phenomenal recipe, yielding a fantastic dish in the vein of chicken curry. As good an Ethiopian dish as I've had anywhere, including Ethiopia.

  • kkmatti on November 13, 2023

    Worth the time to make. The sauce got rave reviews and I will definitely make this again. I ended up throwing the sauce into my blender for a few minutes because the onions weren't breaking down as expected. This worked perfectly.

• Chicken simmered in a mild onion and turmeric sauce (Doro alicha)

  • cjxn on December 16, 2020

    Not nearly as spicy as doro wat. Very savory, though. Easy to prepare and very tasty.

• Buttermilk-marinated chicken with grilled vegetables

  • mzgourmand on January 02, 2026

    Thought this was tasty and healthy- liked the sauce. Made the grilled veg in a regular pan, but the tip of then finishing eggplant wrapped in foil in the oven was useful. Chicken needed to cook longer than the recipe indicated.

• Nigella-glazed roast chicken with black and white sesame seeds

  • superZONic on January 07, 2026

    Found this surprisingly bland. Up the salt and seasonings maybe. Also, it just kind of steamed under the foil rather than roasted.

• Fish goulash (Asa goulash)

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on July 27, 2019

    Tried this recipe with pangasius fillets and flatbread, very tasteful! Not too much sauce, so I would suggest some extra vegetables.

• Grilled Nile perch on a bed of creamy nettles

  • lkgrover on January 29, 2020

    Good, subtle flavors, easy preparation. I substituted tilapia for perch, and spinach for nettles.

• Eat Your Books by Jenny Hartin

  Ethiopian cuisine is brought into today’s kitchen with approachable recipes and a fresh delivery of authentic dishes.

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