Instant Pot Ethiopian Red Lentils. Misir Wat, red lentil stew, loaded with berbere spice, is a taste of Ethiopia from my pressure cooker.
I love a pot of spicy lentils, and Misir Wat delivers. It’s a red lentil stew, seasoned with Ethiopia’s berbere spice blend, and a fantastic side dish for Tuesday’s Ethiopian chicken drumsticks. That said, this is a hearty pot of lentils. It makes a great vegetarian main dish, if that’s what you’re looking for.
Pressure cooking lentils is not much quicker than cooking on the stovetop. I use my Instant Pot for the convenience. Once I lock the lid, the Instant Pot takes over, and I can move on to getting the rest of dinner ready.
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As I said in Tuesday’s recipe, Ethiopian food is traditionally served with Injera, a sourdough bread made from fermented teff flour, and that’s too much work for a non-baker like me. I substitute a flatbread from my local grocery store, usually tortillas.
And, as I said on Tuesday, berbere is pronounced Bear-berET. Think of a grizzly wearing a french cap. (I love the mental image of a bear in a beret, so I had to share it again.)
🥫Ingredients
This is a simple dried bean recipe, so the ingredients list is pretty basic
- Red Lentils
- Butter
- Onion
- Garlic
- Berbere seasoning blend
- Chicken broth
- Can of Diced Tomatoes and Chillies (aka Ro*Tel tomatoes)
See recipe card for quantities.
🥘 Substitutions
Regular lentils: If you can’t find red lentils, brown lentils will work in this recipe. But, they need a little to cook longer - cook for 12 minutes at high pressure with a natural release.
Berbere seasoning blend can be tricky to find. I get my berbere spices at Penzeys, or from Amazon.
If you can't find Berbere, paprika (preferably smoked Spanish paprika) will give you a similar color in the final dish, though much less of a complex flavor. I wouldn't use an American chili powder blend, because the flavor profile is wrong. (It would make good Tex-Mex red lentil tacos though. But that's a recipe for another time.)
Vegetarian version: use vegetable broth instead of the chicken broth. For a vegan version, also replace the butter with olive oil.
For the diced tomatoes and chillies, I use Ro*Tel brand because they are easily available in my local grocery stores.
This dish is medium heat at most; if you want to cut out all the heat, used diced tomatoes in place of the tomatoes and chillies.
🛠 Equipment
A 6-quart pressure cooker. Pressure cooker dried beans are one of the reasons I became a pressure cooker convert, and love my Instant Pot. Try them - you’ll never go back to canned beans. (OK, maybe you will, for convenience - but see the Storage section for tips on make ahead freezer beans.)
📏Scaling
This recipe scales down easily - cut everything in half if you don’t need as many beans, or have a 3-quart pressure cooker. Scaling up runs into space issues; if you have an 8-quart pressure cooker, you can double this recipe, but it’s too much to fit in a 6-quart pressure cooker.
🤨 Soaking lentils?
I get the “to soak, or not to soak?” question all the the time. Don't soak lentils. They cook too quickly - if you soak them, they fall apart when pressure cooked.
💡Tips and Tricks
- Salt your lentil water! “Salt toughens beans” is a myth. Salting before cooking helps season the beans all the way through as they cook.
- Try to buy lentils from a store with lots of bean turnover. Beans dry out as they age, which makes them a little tougher to cook.
Other Lentil Recipes
This recipe is very similar to my Instant Pot Lentil Curry. Looking for some other colorful lentils? Try my Instant Pot Beluga Lentils or my Instant Pot French Green Lentils.
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Instant Pot Ethiopian Red Lentils (Misir Wat)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups of lentils 1x
Description
Instant Pot Ethiopian Red Lentils. Misir Wat, red lentil stew, loaded with berbere spice, is a taste of Ethiopia from my pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (about 1 cup) red lentils, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon Berbere seasoning blend
- 2 cups homemade chicken or vegetable broth (or water, or low sodium store-bought broth)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth or water)
- 10-ounce can diced tomatoes and green chilies (Ro*Tel Tomatoes), with the juices
Accompaniments
- Flatbread (I substitute large tortillas or pita bread)
Instructions
- Rinse the lentils: Put the lentils in a strainer and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Let stand to drain while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
- Saute the aromatics and toast the spices: Melt the butter in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode (or in a stovetop PC over medium heat). Add the onion and garlic, then sprinkle with ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Sauté until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Make a hole in the center of the onions, add the berbere, and toast the berbere for one minute, then stir it into the onions.
- Everything in the pot: Stir in the lentils, 2 cups of broth or water, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt if using homemade broth or water. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any bits of onion that stuck to the pot. Stir in the can of tomatoes and chilies.
- Pressure Cook the lentils for 10 minutes with a Quick Release: Lock the lid and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot), for both electric and stovetop PCs. Once the cooking time is done, quick release the remaining pressure.
- Serve: Open the pressure cooker lid (away from you – the steam is hot). Serve and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Ethiopian
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☃️ Storage
These lentils will last in the refrigerator for a few days, and freeze for up to 6 months. I freeze leftovers in 2-cup containers, and they're ready to eat after about 5 minutes in the microwave.
🤝 Related Posts
Instant Pot Doro Wat
Instant Pot Quick Lentil Curry
Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken and Lentil Soup
My other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes
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Jack says
I've made this a few times and it's amazing! The last time I made it I included a minced jalapeño when sautéing the onions and garlic and the extra heat was a wonderful addition.
Mike Vrobel says
Great! I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Jennifer Williams says
I cannot have anything from the nightshade group. What would anyone suggest to replace the tomatoes?
Mike Vrobel says
Replace the 10-ounce can of tomatoes and diced chilies with 2 (4-ounce) cans of diced chilies.
Kelly says
This was my third time making this recipe. It's become a favorite in our household. I serve over rice and spinach. I mixed my our Berbere spice mix which was easy enough since I had everything on hand
Mike Vrobel says
I’m glad you enjoy it!
Shane Haeme says
What a great idea - trying this tonight