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Lentils w/ Calabaza Squash & Coconut Oil

Lentils w/ Calabaza Squash & Coconut Oil

This calabaza squash lentil recipe is a simplified take on Ethiopian Misir Wat with readily available ingredients that I actually have on hand. Misir Wat is an Ethiopian-style red lentil dish that ordinarily contains niter kibbeh, onions, tomatoes, and berbere. I am plum out of tomatoes, but do have the vast majority of spices that go into berbere and have seasoned this dish with calabaza squash, habaneros, garlic, turmeric, red onions, coconut oil, red lentils, cloves, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, salt, and pepper.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Cuisine Ethiopian
Servings 3 cups

Equipment

  • Food Processor
  • Rice Cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 1 c. calabaza squash
  • 1 habanero
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp. turmeric fresh
  • 1/4 c. red onion diced
  • 1 tbsp. coconut oil
  • 1 c. red lentils
  • dash cloves whole
  • dash coriander whole
  • dash cumin whole
  • dash fenugreek whole
  • dash salt
  • dash pepper
  • 2 ½ c. water

Instructions
 

Prepare Ingredients

  • I used Roasted Calabaza Squash in this recipe. This takes a couple of hours and requires a calabaza (or other squash or pumpkin of choice) as well as aluminum foil and a baking dish.
  • Add calabaza squash, habanero, and garlic to a food processor. Purée for 30 seconds, or until smooth.
    When I roasted the calabaza squash, I puréed half of it and froze the rest whole. If you puréed all of it, simply skip this step and mince the habanero and garlic. I just puréed them all together to saved time, but it isn't necessary! The flavor profile will be the same, either way.
  • I also used Fresh Turmeric in Olive Oil. You can easily substitute dried turmeric. But there is something particularly refreshing about fresh turmeric! And, if you can find it, mincing it and preserving in olive oil is the key to longevity.

Cook Lentils

  • Add all of the ingredients to a rice cooker (squash purée with habanero and garlic, turmeric, red onion, coconut oil, spices, salt, pepper, lentils, and water).
  • Grind whole cloves, coriander, cumin, and fenugreek in a mortar and pestle.
    A lot of the time I prefer whole spices and grinding them in a mortar and pestle. I used whole cloves, coriander, cumin, and fenugreek. You can easily substitute ground spices and mix and match whatever you have on hand. A lot of the time berbere also includes dried chilis, garlic, onion, turmeric, ginger, peppercorns, allspice, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc. I used several of these ingredients already in the recipe, didn't have them in whole spices, or felt like they were redundant. Part of cooking is making what you have and what you like work for you! So, feel free to mix it up to your own needs and tastes.
  • Press the cook button on the rice cooker. While lentils aren't rice, it does cook the same and oftentimes better than rice in a rice cooker. It typically takes 30-45 minutes.
  • When the lentils is fully cooked, fluff with a wooden spoon and serve.
    Do not use a fork or other metal utensil. It will scratch off the nonstick surface on the rice cooker. This will leach teflon into your food and cause future dishes to stick to the bottom!