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Beyaynetu (fasting platter)
A big injera platter of colourful vegan stews, with a quick red lentil misir wat
Beyaynetu means 'a bit of every kind', and on Wednesdays, Fridays and through the long Lenten fast it is what most of Addis Ababa orders for lunch: a round of injera covered with small heaps of different vegan stews and salads, each a different colour and spice level, with extra rolled injera on the side. At home it is a feast for sharing, built from dishes you can make ahead. This page shows you how to plan and assemble it, and gives the red lentil misir wat that sits at its centre; for the other dishes use our Shiro wat, Kik alicha, Gomen, Tikil gomen, Fosolia and Timatim salata recipes, and of course Injera. Chef's tip: balance the platter with two spicy red dishes, two mild yellow ones and two green or fresh ones, so every mouthful can be cooled or warmed.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the misir wat (red lentils)
To assemble (from the linked recipes)
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Plan ahead: make the 8 injera 2–3 days in advance (it needs to ferment), and cook 1 batch kik alicha, 1 batch gomen, 1 batch tikil gomen and 1 batch fosolia the day before or that morning. They all reheat well. Make 1 batch shiro wat and 1 batch timatim salata just before serving.
Step 2: For the misir wat, cook 2 red onions in a dry heavy pan over a medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring, until soft and reduced.
8 minStep 3: Add 4 tbsp vegetable oil, 3 garlic cloves and ⅓ oz fresh ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tbsp berbere and 1 tbsp tomato purée and cook for 3–4 minutes over a low heat until deep red and fragrant; add a splash of water if it starts to stick.
6 minStep 4: Add 9 oz red lentils, 3 ¾ cups hot water and 1 tsp salt. Simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes, stirring often, until the lentils have broken down into a thick, spoonable stew. Add hot water if it gets stodgy.
22 minStep 5: Warm the make-ahead dishes gently in separate pans over a low heat, just until hot, adding a splash of water to loosen if needed.
10 minStep 6: Lay one injera, holey side up, on a large round tray. Roll the rest up and cut each roll in half.
Step 7: Spoon the dishes onto the injera in separate mounds around the edge, alternating red, yellow and green, with the misir wat and shiro in the middle. The most common mistake is to spoon them on too early; add them just before serving or the injera underneath turns soggy.
Step 8: Serve straight away with the rolled injera on the side. Everyone tears off pieces and uses them to pick up the stews with the right hand.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbs
- 88 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 20 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does beyaynetu (fasting platter) take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of red onions?
- White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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