This easy vegan dish is one of my favorite parts of any Ethiopian meal! Humble Atakilt Wat is made from cabbage, carrots, and potatoes spiced with fragrant Berbere seasoning. Serve it with simmered lentils and Ethiopian flatbread for an easy weeknight dinner!
I absolutely ADORE Ethiopian food. One of my favorite places to eat in town is this little Ethiopian restaurant called Bete-Lukas which happily lives upstairs from one of my favorite places to grab a drink (North Bar for all you Portland folk).
First of all, there’s just something amazing about being told it’s okay to eat with your hands. This might be why I also love Moroccan food so much. And also because it tastes so damn good.
But about the Ethiopian food: it is so fun to grab a piece of injera (Ethiopian flatbread, which I don’t know how to make, so I just used store bought naan for this pictures… so shoot me) and use it to scoop up warmly spiced red lentils (misir wot), spicy slow-cooked kale (gomen), and, of course, berbere-spiced cabbage, carrots, and potatoes (atakilt wat).
At this point you might be wondering about the berbere. What the heck is it, right?
It’s a spice mixture commonly used in Ethiopian cooking, but at my house it’s a magic bottle that instantly Ethiopian-izes anything I put it on. What could be a boring bowl of veggies is transformed into warm, fragrant, perfectly spiced comfort food.
Like just about every other spice I own, I get my berbere from Frontier – it’s organic, perfectly balanced, and always tastes fresh. You can grab a bottle for about $3 on Amazon.
If you’re feeling frisky you can also make your own blend using this recipe from Cate over at Girl Cooks World. I’ve used her recipe before and it turned out great! Just don’t skip out on the Fenugreek – berbere just isn’t berbere without it.
Atakilt wat is typically served as part of a spread of small dishes served with injera, but I also like to eat this over a bed of basmati rice. Sometimes I even drizzle it with a little bit of extra olive oil right before I dig in. Don’t skimp on the cilantro leaves!
Here’s Your Recipe!
Yields 4-6
This easy vegan dish is one of my favorite parts of any Ethiopian meal! Humble Atakilt Wat is made from cabbage, carrots, and potatoes spiced with fragrant Berbere seasoning. Serve it with simmered lentils and Ethiopian flatbread for an easy weeknight dinner!
5 minPrep Time
25 minCook Time
30 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
- 1 1/2 teaspoons berbere seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste (or 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh ginger)
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 2 cups chopped boiling potatoes (such as Yukon gold)
- 4 cups roughly chopped green cabbage (about 1/2 a medium head)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes until the onions have softened. Add the berbere seasoning and ginger paste; fry for 60 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the carrot, potato, cabbage, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the pan. Cover the pan and allow to cook for 10 minutes, checking once halfway through to stir and add a splash of vegetable broth or water if needed.
- After ten minutes, add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, stir, and turn the heat down to low. Recover the pan and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Garnish with black pepper and cilantro.
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