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    Home » Instant Pot

    Ethiopian Lentils | Instant Pot Misir Wot

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read the disclosure.    

    Published: Jan 11, 2021 | Updated: Feb 4, 2021 | Author: Paint the Kitchen Red | 16 Comments

    JUMP TO RECIPE
    Blue bowl of orange red Ethiopian lentils garnished with cilantro on a red and gold napkin - Pinterest pin

    This Ethiopian Lentils recipe, also known as Misir Wot, makes for an irresistible vegetarian meal. Made with red lentils cooked to creamy perfection and seasoned with the bright, warming flavors of Berbere spice mix, this is a simple and delicious recipe that can be part of a healthy weeknight meal. Instant Pot and stovetop instructions included.

    Blue bowl of orange red Ethiopian lentils garnished with cilantro on a red and gold napkin

    Table of Contents


    1. INTRODUCTION
    2. TIPS
    3. INGREDIENTS
    4. INSTANT POT STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
    5. STOVETOP DIRECTIONS
    6. RECIPE CARD – PRINTABLE
    7. RELATED RECIPES AND GUIDES

    Introduction

    Misir wot (misr wat or misir wat) is a mainstay on menus at Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurants, particularly as part of the veggie combo. I love it because it’s similar to Indian dal recipes.

    A spicy Ethiopian lentil stew made with onions, lentils, berbere spice, and spiced clarified butter, misir wot is traditionally served over injera, a large sourdough crepe made out of a fermented millet-like grain known as teff flour.

    Injera has the flavor of sourdough bread but is much sourer. Traditionally, a variety of entrées and side dishes are heaped on the injera in tidy piles, and the injera is torn off in pieces and used to pick up bites of the various stews.

    My kids aren’t big fans of injera, so I like to serve these Ethiopian red lentils with brown rice, white rice or sourdough bread.

    This misr wat recipe is a streamlined and quick version that can be made in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop. It’s simple enough that you can make it on a weeknight and because there’s no meat in the recipe you can also make it ahead of time and leave it on Keep Warm mode.

    Here are some Instant Pot vegetarian recipes you might like to try out!
    – Instant Pot Curried Risotto
    – Instant Pot Middle Eastern Green Beans
    – Instant Pot Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower and Potatoes)

    – Instant Pot Brown Rice with Vegetables
    – Instant Pot Vegetarian Moroccan Stew
    – Instant Pot Parboiled Rice

    Tips and Substitutions


    Berbere

    Berbere (pronounced bare-bare-eh) is a fiery chili pepper blend that’s essential to Ethiopian cooking and it gives this misir wat recipe intense flavor and spice. Berbere has many of the ingredients in the Indian spice blend garam masala, but unlike garam masala, it is spicy!

    The spiciness of berbere can vary depending on the brand you purchase or the recipe you use. Use as much or as little as your tastes dictate. Penzey’s berbere spice is quite spicy and a little goes a long way. Silk Road berbere is milder.

    If you want to make berbere spice at home here’s my recipe that’s pretty easy to make. For convenience I’ve listed spice powders but you can use whole spices and grind them in a spice grinder. The recipe makes about 1/3 cup of berbere. If you want it spicier, use 2 tablespoons of paprika and 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper:

    Berbere recipe

    • 3 Tbsp paprika
    • 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
    • 1 tsp coriander powder
    • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
    • 1/2 tsp black pepper
    • 1 tsp onion powder
    • 1 tsp ginger powder
    • 1 tsp fenugreek powder
    • 1/4 tsp allspice powder
    • 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
    • 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
    • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
    • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder

    Onions

    Misir wat is typically is made with shallots, but I use red or yellow onions. An unusual technique used in the traditional preparation of misir wat is that the onions are sautéed without any fat or oil until all the liquid has come out, and the onions are cooked to a paste-like consistency.

    I don’t use this traditional technique. Instead, I saute the onions in the niter kibbeh (see below) or ghee. On the stovetop, I saute the onions till they turn a deep golden brown, which can take some time. In the Instant Pot, I saute the onions for less time because pressure cooking breaks the onions down further.


    Lentils

    The lentils used in misir wot are referred to as red lentils, pink lentils, Egyptian lentils, and masoor dal. In this recipe I make misir wot with split red lentils but you can also use whole red lentils (whole masoor dal). When I use whole masoor dal, I pressure cook the misir wot for 15 to 20 minutes.

    If you have trouble getting the lentils to cook properly, it could be because the lentils have sat on a shelf for too long. Try getting a new bag.

    There is no need to soak the lentils because they are fast-cooking, but you do need to rinse them well.


    Niter Kibbeh

    Niter kibbeh is a clarified butter similar to ghee except it’s simmered with spices, which makes it super flavorful. For simplicity, you can use ghee, but niter kibbeh does add that extra dimension of flavor.

    You can buy niter kibbeh or make your own by following a ghee recipe except you’ll add a few extra ingredients to the butter and strain them out with the milk solids. The leftover niter kibbeh can be use instead of ghee or oil when you’re cooking other recipes! Here’s what I add to my ghee recipe to make niter kibbeh:

    • 1 small onion (quartered)
    • 2 garlic cloves (whole)
    • 1 tsp whole peppercorns
    • 1 cinnamon stick (2-inch piece)
    • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

    [Find out how to make homemade ghee in your Instant Pot]

    If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.

    • Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Manual
    • Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
    • Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
    • Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
    • Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
    • Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
    • Instant Pot PRO Beginner’s Manual
    • Instant Pot PRO CRISP Beginner’s Manual

    Instant Pot Misir Wot – Ingredients

    Instant Pot Misir Wot Ingredients - red lentils, onions, water, ginger, garlic, berbere, niter kibbeh, tomato paste
    • Red lentils
    • Onions
    • Water
    • Ginger
    • Garlic
    • Berbere
    • Niter Kibbeh
    • Tomato paste
    • Salt (not pictured)

    More details in the recipe card at the bottom of this post

    How to Make Ethiopian Lentils in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)

    1. Turn on Saute Mode
    2. Saute onion, garlic, ginger and add spices
    3. Saute spices and add liquids
    4. Add water and lentils
    5. Pressure cook
    6. Natural release
    7. Stir lentils and garnish with cilantro

    How to Turn on Saute Mode

    Instant Pot Ultra Duo Saute Function collage - arrows pointing to Saute in Duo and Ultra - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Instant Pot DUO:  Select the Saute function.
    • Instant Pot ULTRA:  Select the Saute function and press Start.

    Saute onion, garlic, ginger and add spices

    Instant Pot Misir wot instructions collage - niter kibbeh melted, onion garlic ginger, sauteed and berbere added
    • Once the inner pot has preheated, add niter kibbeh or ghee to the inner pot and let it melt.
    • Add onions, garlic, and ginger.
    • Saute onion mixture until the onions are golden.  Add a few tablespoons of water to deglaze the inner pot if needed.
    • Press Cancel. The spices added in the next step will cook in the residual heat.
    • Add berbere and salt.

    Saute spices and add liquids

    Instant Pot Misir wot instructions collage - onion mix sauteed, tomato paste added and stirred
    • Stir the spices.
    • Saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Don’t let the spices burn!
    • Deglaze with a tablespoon or two of water if necessary.
    • Stir in the tomato paste.

    Add water and lentils

    Instant Pot Misir wot instructions collage - water added, lentils added, stirred
    • Stir in water and lentils.

    Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 6 minutes

    Instant Pot Duo Manual mode 6 minutes collage - close lid, press manual, press - or +, display shows 6 - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
    • Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until the display reads ‘6‘ (6 minutes).

    Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 6 minutes

    Instant Pot Ultra pressure cook 6 minutes collage - open lid, select pressure cook and set time to 00:06, display says on - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Close the lid.
    • Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 6 minutes (00:06).
    • Press Start.

    Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)

    Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cooking collage - display shows On, float valve is down, display shows L0:00 - Paint the Kitchen Red
    Instant Pot Ultra pressure cooking collage - Ultra display shows On, float valve is up, display shows 00 00 - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Instant Pot display will change to On.
    • Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
    • The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display L0:00  or 00 00 and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.

    How to Naturally Release Pressure (NPR) on the DUO and ULTRA

    Instant Pot Duo natural release cancel and open collage - float valve is down, arrow pointing to Cancel, lid is open - Paint the Kitchen Red
    Instant Pot Ultra Natural Release Cancel and Open collage - arrow pointing to float valve down, press cancel button, lid is open and Instant Pot Ultra display shows Off - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR).  The float valve will be in the down position.  This may take 15 to 30 minutes. [Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
    • Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.

    Stir lentils and garnish

    Instant Pot Misir wot instructions collage - cooked lentils, stirred, served
    • Stir the Ethiopian lentil stew.
    • Garnish with cilantro if desired.
    • Transfer to a serving bowl.

    Stovetop Directions for Misir Wot


    To make Ethiopian lentils on the stovetop, cook onion mixture till deep golden brown in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat and then lower to medium-low. Add spices, lentils, and tomato paste. Simmer the lentils in 3 cups of water, stirring often and adding water as needed, until lentils are cooked through to your liking and mixture is a thick stew, about 30 minutes.
    See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.

    Blue bowl of orange red Ethiopian lentils garnished with cilantro on a red and gold napkin

    Ethiopian Lentils | Misir Wot (Instant Pot and Stovetop)

    This Ethiopian Lentil Stew recipe, also known as Misir Wot, makes for an irresistible vegetarian meal. Made with red lentils cooked to creamy perfection and enhanced by the bright, warming flavors of Berbere spice mix, this is a simple and delicious recipe that can be part of a healthy weeknight meal. Instant Pot and stovetop instructions included.
    5 from 10 votes
    PRINT PIN RATE
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 289
    Author: Paint the Kitchen Red

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 Tbsp niter kibbeh or ghee or butter
    • 2 cups onion diced
    • 2 tsp garlic minced
    • 2 tsp ginger minced
    • 1 ½ Tbsp berbere or to taste
    • 1 tsp salt or to taste
    • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
    • 2 3/4 cup water (3 cups for stovetop)
    • 1 cup red lentils rinsed and drained
    • 2 Tbsp cilantro to garnish (optional)

    Instructions
     

    Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

    • Press Saute and add niter kibbeh to the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
    • Once the niter kibbeh has heated up, add onions, garlic and ginger. Stir until onion mixture is golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Press Cancel. The spices in the next step will cook in the residual heat.
    • Add berbere and salt and stir to coat, about 30 seconds. Make sure there's nothing stuck to the bottom of the inner pot – deglaze as needed.
    • Add tomato paste and stir for 30 seconds. If anything gets stuck to the inner pot, deglaze with a tablespoon or two of water.
    • Stir in the water and lentils.
    • Close the lid and pressure cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes.
    • Do a natural pressure release. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
    • Open the Instant Pot and stir the Ethiopian lentils. Garnish with cilantro, if using.

    Stovetop

    • In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat niter kibbeh over medium heat.
    • Add onions, garlic and ginger. Stir for a few minutes till onions begin to turn golden. Lower the temperature to medium-low and saute till onion mixture is a deep golden brown, stirring frequently. It may take 15 to 20 minutes or longer for the onions to become nicely browned. Make sure they don't burn, and deglaze as needed.
    • Stir in berbere and salt, and saute for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
    • Stir in tomato paste and lentils. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes, deglazing with water if needed.
    • Add 3 cups of water and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are cooked to your liking and the stew has thickened, about 30 minutes. Add more water, if needed, in tablespoon increments.
    • Adjust with more berbere and salt, according to your tastes.
    • Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

    Notes

    • Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. minced garlic, chopped onion, etc.
    • See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.  You don’t want to miss any!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 cup | Calories: 289 kcal | Carbohydrates: 38 g | Protein: 14 g | Fat: 8 g | Saturated Fat: 5 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g | Sodium: 850 mg | Fiber: 5 g | Sugar: 7 g
    Course Main Dishes
    Cuisine African
    Main Ingredient beans, vegetarian
    Have you made this recipe? I love seeing your photos! Tag me on Instagram @PaintTheKitchenRed or #PaintTheKitchenRed!

    Thank you for visiting Paint the Kitchen Red. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please don’t use any content without prior written permission. If you’ve made this recipe and would like to share it with your friends, please link back to this recipe. Thank you!

    I am not a certified nutritionist.  I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers.  If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons,  I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.

    If you loved this recipe, please give it a five ⭐ rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dana

      January 03, 2023 at 6:34 pm

      5 stars
      This was delicious! I did the home made berbere and used the shallot. Also, the person I live with always needs meat, so I dumped some shredded chicken on his. Served on quinoa…again, delish! 6 mins in the instant pot was a bit too long because the texture ended up like babyfood…which is fine, it was tasty. But if you’re looking for a little more texture, I’d do maybe 4 mins in IP, 5 mins natural release, then manual release the rest…possibly manual release it all after 4 mins of cooking.

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        January 04, 2023 at 9:51 pm

        Dana, I really appreciate you taking the time to give your feedback!

        Reply
    2. Ann

      March 29, 2022 at 12:10 am

      5 stars
      Yum. I’ve made this with 2 cups of water in the IP – our favorite Ethiopian place’s misir wot is very scoopable. I think I can go with even less water. I’ve also dragged my IP outside to cook it so that the smell of the niter kibbeh doesn’t make the house smell =)

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        March 29, 2022 at 1:30 am

        Ann, thank you for the review. I’m so happy you like the recipe. Thanks for the tips.

        Reply
    3. Liz

      December 06, 2021 at 1:48 pm

      5 stars
      Make this dish a lot!

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        December 07, 2021 at 5:11 pm

        So glad to hear it, Liz!

        Reply
    4. Yoav Morahg

      September 12, 2021 at 4:25 pm

      5 stars
      Made this tonight and it was FANTASTIC! My father-in-law is vegan so I wound up making my own vegan niter kibbeh which seems to have worked just fine. I happened to have berbere from Penzeys and you were right… it was HOT. A bit hot for me but my father-in-law likes a lot of heat and he was happy as can be. He said it’s a winner and I definitely agree! Thanks as always!

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        September 13, 2021 at 12:01 pm

        Great to hear from you again, Yoav! I’m so glad you let me know that you and your FIL like the recipe 🙂

        Reply
    5. Mara

      April 03, 2021 at 5:29 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve made this twice now and it never gets old! Love to add chopped dates and black olives to it as well.

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        April 05, 2021 at 1:47 pm

        Hi Mara – thank you so much for your comment – I’m thrilled to hear you love the recipe!

        Reply
    6. Leone

      March 11, 2021 at 6:34 pm

      5 stars
      Made this last night. Incredibly good! My husband and I I loved it!

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        March 15, 2021 at 9:46 am

        Leone – I’m thrilled to hear you loved the recipe. I love how quick and easy it is!

        Reply
    7. laura

      February 21, 2021 at 9:18 pm

      5 stars
      Fabulous! This was delicious & the flavor reminded me a lot of my favorite Ethiopian restaurant. Great recipes. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        February 22, 2021 at 1:56 pm

        Thank you so much, Laura! I’m glad you liked the recipe – I love how easy and healthy it is!

        Reply
    8. Karan Lewis

      January 16, 2021 at 9:57 am

      Can you double or triple this recipe?

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        January 16, 2021 at 2:49 pm

        Karan, yes you should be able to – just make sure the contents don’t go above the 1/2 mark of the inner pot.

        Reply

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