Mesir Wet

Ethiopian food is amazing. This recipe is simple but spicy. If you want a less spicy version you should use less berbere spice mix.

Ingredients
1 red onion, chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch knob of ginger, grated
niter kibbeh or ye'quimem zeyet (recipe follows)
2-3 tbsp berbere spice mix (recipe follows)
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp cumin
1 c red lentils
water
injeera, for serving (I'll post a recipe for this separately)

Directions
1) Saute the onion, garlic, and ginger, in the niter kibbeh or ye'quimem zeyet until the onions have softened.
2) Add the rest of the spices, the lentils, and the water.
3) Bring the misir wet to a boil and then simmer until the water is absorbed and the misir wet has the consistency of a chowder. This should take about 10 minutes.
4) Eat the mesir wet with injeera.

Berbere Spice Mix
Mix together the following dried and ground spices. Then put the spice mix in an airtight container. Some people use salt in their berbere, but I prefer to just add it later if I want it.

1/2 c chiles
1/4 c paprika
1 tbsp cayenne
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp onion
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp fenugreek
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Niter Kibbeh or Ye'quimem Zeyet
This recipe makes about a cup and a half.

2 c coconut oil or butter
1/3 c red onions or shallots, minced
12 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, grated
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
6 fresh basil leaves
6 whole cloves
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

Optional ingredients:
1 tbsp crumbled dried koseret (you can find this in Ethiopian food stores)
1/2 tsp whole ajwain seeds
1/2 tsp whole nigella seeds

If using butter, heat the butter slowly over low heat, skimming any foam off the top with a spoon, until the solids sink to the bottom, and then strain the butter, discarding the solids. Cook on low until the onion is soft and the oil or butter is fragrant. Strain out the other ingredients and then freeze your oil or butter in ice cube trays to use it whenever you want it.