Misr Allecha, Ethiopian Red Lentil Puree, is not only super tasty and very healthy, but vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free. This Ethiopian dish was everyone’s favorite and sadly did not make it to the leftover category as we glommed it down at one sitting. If you are not into lentils, this can also be made with split green peas. I would recommend doubling this recipe as you will most certainly want a second helping. You can also alter the degree of spicyness by adding more or less jalapeno. Also, removing the seeds and white membrane will cut down on the degree of spicyness significantly. You can either serve this with Ethiopian bread called Injeera or, serve it as you would a bean dip for an appetizer. We would rate this 8.5/10.
Ingredients
- 1 C red lentils (also known as Egyptian lentils0
- 1 small onion, chopped (1/3 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1/2 jalapeno minced (seeds and white membrane removed)
- 1 T vegetable oil or olive oil
- 1/2 tsp ground tumeric
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 C water + water to soak and cook the lentils beforehand
Step by step directions
 1.  | Rinse lentils. Put lentils in a pot. |
 2.  | Cover with 4 cups of water. Let sit for 30 minutes. Lentils will absorb the water. |
  3.  | Add 4 C water. Bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes until tender and falling apart. Drain and mash lentils if they have not already turned into mush. |
4.  | While lentils are cooking…. Chop onions & garlic. Remove seeds and white membrane from jalapeno. Mince jalapeno. |
 5.  | Add onion and garlic to a frying pan. Sautee onion and garlic in a dry pan over medium low heat for 2 minutes. |
6.  | Add the oil. Sautee for 1 minute. |
7.  | Add the mashed lentils, tumeric, salt and jalapeno to the onion mixture. Mix well. * I probably would have stopped at this step and served it if I had it to do again. |
  8.  | Add 1/2 C water. Mix well. Cook over medium-high, stirring regularly, to reduce the mixture to a thick, well-spiced puree. |
9.  | Serve. |
Recipe Source: Sephardic Cooking, Copeland Marks, p. 411-412