BY KFLEEYESUS ABEBE
Most popular cuisines that are influencing the world palate are Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Indian and American cuisines. If anything that makes these cuisines similar is they are high-fat, high-carb dishes. Chicken, seafood, and beefs are common in these cuisines. On the other hand, doctors are recommending people to avoid foods that are high in fat and carbs to be healthy and maintain good body posture. So, more and more people are turning faces to vegetables and other kinds of low fats food. If you are one of the people looking for low fat foods, I would recommend you to test Ethiopian dishes. It is true Ethiopia has a wide variety of foods both with high and lot fats. There is a variety of foods based on places and cultures. But there are some common foods you would find in the capital Addis Ababa or Ethiopian restaurants abroad. Most of the foods are likely to be low carbs as Ethiopians frequent low cab foods due to religious and other reasons. I am confident that they will help you if you are planning to be on a diet.
Commonly called fasting foods, Ethiopian
cuisines that I am going to introduce you are very comfortable to eat, tasty and healthy at the same time. If you are in diet, eating these Ethiopian cuisines would be a good choice as they are easy to prepare, and tasty and healthy at the same time. Ethiopian food is a fun, flavorful mix of just about every taste and texture you can imagine. Spicy, sweet, salty, tangy, aromatic – your taste buds will love these diverse and delicious recipes that showcase the best of Ethiopian cuisine. To begin with many of Ethiopian foods served with injera for like a bread to eat with.
Fir-Fir (sautéed injera)
The most typical Ethiopian breakfast is fir-fir, shredded leftover injera that’s stir-fried with berbere and kibbe. The spicy, carb-y morning meal might be mixed with leftover shiro or meat stews. And yes, even though the main ingredient in fir-fir is injera, it’ll probably be served with more injera on the side.
Gomen (Ethiopian Collard Greens)
Quick and tasty, this Ethiopian side is sure to become a family favorite.
Even the kids will enjoy this vibrant blend of lightly spiced, leafy greens.
Braised collard greens and kale are
seasoned with aromatic spices like paprika and cardamom for a healthy and tangy veggie dish.
Gomen is traditionally enjoyed with wot and injera for dinner.
Injera-Ethiopian Flatbread (the Daring Gourmet)
Whether it is low fat or high fat foods, injera is common food type in Ethiopian foods. Missing it is like not having bread in your burger or sandwich. It is almost impossible not to find injera in Ethiopian foods. It is a sourdough flatbread that’s part food, part eating utensil. Served with almost any main, Injera is traditionally used as a spoon to scoop up meat and veggies.
Its soft, spongy texture makes it the perfect addition to broth, stews, and soups.
Eat like an Ethiopian by tearing off a strip of injera and dipping it into those delicious juices.
It might get messy, but this fun flatbread is so worth it. Chewy, soft, and savory, injera is a must for any Ethiopian meal. Preparing or getting other foods items might be easy even abroad. But, teff is very rare outside Ethiopia. That is why it is one of the things Ethiopian diasporas miss or associates it with the country of origin.
Injera might be sour but it is definately low fat people in diet could eat with varities of stews (Wot).
Beye’aynet (Ethiopian Fasting Special)
Beye’aynetu” is the name of a common dish you will find on the menu in many restaurants in Ethiopia. This dish consists of a big tray with an assortment of colorful and flavorsome Ethiopian food. It is a popular food especially in fasting season. On a tray the injera will be placed and on it there would be different stews like Shiro Wot, Gomen, tomattos, lentils and other stews. Every stew is prepared separately to eachother but in the end they will be served together on the top of the injera. Like the foods I mentioned earlier, this food has low fat as it contains nothing but vegetables, and spices.
So, Ethiopian food will be the easiest way to balance your diet, becoming healthy and have control over your body posture. Unlike high carb Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Indian and American cuisines, Ethiopian foods are light on your stomach and after you ate them you would still be refreshed and energetic. As the world is changing its faces to healthy life style, it is likely Ethiopian foods to be prefered. But it needs further promotion and the foods should be accessible in quality and quanity to get world’s attention. They can surely be enjoyed by anyone mindful about his health and looking unique taste.
Shiro Wot
It is important to know what Amharic word “Wot” is before rushing and talking about Shiro Wot. Wot is the Ethiopian term for any kind of stew or soup. So, eating like Ethiopian is literally mean eating the wot (the sew soup) with injera. Wots come in all different varieties, from meaty to vegetarian, and can be enjoyed any time of day.
Shiro Wot is simple but loved by many people including foreigners. It is enjoyed for its tastiness and being comfortable and healthy. This recipe features a vegetarian version, made with chickpeas and a whole bunch of spices. It’s also thickened with chickpea flour, making it a deliciously dense pure that’s chunky enough to spread on bread.
But don’t serve this with just any bread. It’s worth making the traditional injera to scoop up every single bite of this soupy treat. This one-pot meal is made with tomatoes, and onions. The complex flavors mingle beautifully for a bright bowl of yummy goodness.
The Ethiopian Herald July 6/2022
