Tikil Gomen (Ethiopian cabbage and potatoes)

During our trip to Washington DC, we tried an Ethiopian vegetarian lunch and it was one of the best meals we had. It was full of flavour and hotness! Guus wanted to eat Ethiopian food again, so he made this cabbage and potatoes dish. For my benefit, I asked Guus to make it less spicy. This recipe is a milder version of the original, but you can adjust it to how spicy you like it to be.


Serves 8 - 10 (as side dish)
Preparation time: 30  minutes

Ingredients

3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium white onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 cloves garlic, pureed or mashed
1/4 tsp grounded turmeric
1 tbsp fresh ginger, pureed
2 carrots (peeled and sliced)
3 potatoes (peeled and chopped)
1 head of cabbage (around 900 grams, chopped)
1 jalapeno chili, finely chopped (make it 2 or 3 jalapenos if you want it more spicy)
1 cup water
salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. In a large pan, heat the vegetable oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent (around  5 minutes). Then add the carrots and potatoes. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. 

Note: you would really need a large pan to fit the cabbage.

2. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, salt and pepper. Stir in the water and mix. Let it simmer and cook for another 5 minutes.

3. Add the cabbage and stir. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked. Taste and season with more salt if needed.

Serve warm as a side dish. I recommend serving this with Ethiopian bread 'injera' or just warm white rice.

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