EATING OUT: Authentic Ethiopian cuisine

Packed with rich flavour and spice, Ethiopian fare is not for every tongue. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Nairobi’s growing Ethiopian community has brought with it a heightened demand for eateries serving authentic cuisine from Ethiopia, and so restaurants are mushrooming at a rather fast rate.
  • One of those is Abyssinia Exotic Ethiopian Restaurant in the wooded Muguga Green area of Westlands.

Packed with rich flavour and spice, Ethiopian fare is not for every tongue, but for those who like it, this is one of the nicest places to eat Ethiopian dishes in town. By

North of Kenya, there exists a nation whose cultural exports are largely underappreciated. Chief among them, her wonderful cuisine replete with spicy and greasy meat dishes, vegetables, and a range of flatbreads. It is important to note that Ethiopian dishes are not for the squeamish or the reserved. The smell of their cooking fats and oils can be pungent and the communal platters on which food is served to be eaten with bare hands can be a shock for the prudish, but I am one of the few who finds the entire experience quite thrilling.

Nairobi’s growing Ethiopian community has brought with it a heightened demand for eateries serving authentic cuisine from Ethiopia, and so restaurants are mushrooming at a rather fast rate. One of those is Abyssinia Exotic Ethiopian Restaurant in the wooded Muguga Green area of Westlands. It is housed in what was once a (residential) bungalow. There is ample parking and on stepping out of your car you will be confronted with strong aromas of coffee and incense hanging heavy in the air. The restaurant is set up like a local pub or diner and the furniture will make you cringe. The wait staff are almost always shabbily dressed and they look ready to fall from fatigue. It is a wonder that they manage to wear a pleasant smile and that they are very helpful if you can decipher what they are saying in their heavy Ethiopian accent.

ONE SERVING FOR THREE PEOPLE

I recommend the combination special on their menu which serves up to three people. It comes in a wide tray lined with the most well-known of Ethiopian dishes – a sourdough flat bread called injera as a base holding a variety of wats (stews) including one of my favourites made from chickpea flour called shiro. At the centre of the platter is the doro wat consisting of ground chicken and a hard-boiled egg cooked in the fiery berbere spice. Somewhere in the intricate arrangement surrounding the doro wat was a cream spinach, atkilt (carrot, cabbage, potato mix) wat and the irresistible tibs. These are meat bits sautéed with vegetables (mostly capsicum, onion and herbs) and served from a clay tower dish with a little space for hot coal and burning incense under the base of the vessel.

My default order is the lamb variation as opposed to the regular beef. In addition to all of this, a side basket of extra brown and white injera is offered making for a mighty meal bound to satisfy even the most ravenous of men.

Ethiopian cuisine is very rich in flavour and packed with heat. Nearly all the wats have a base of onion and garlic making for good savour before anything else is added. The famous berbere spice is a chilli, curry powder hybrid used to season meats.

INCREDIBLE CUISINE

 Butter and ginger are also significant components in a regular Ethiopian meal. While most combinations are largely meat based, this incredible cuisine also offers some pretty decent vegetarian options.

Abyssinia is among the nicest places to have Ethiopian food in town. Their meals and drinks are averagely priced and what you pay for is definitely worth the cost. Also, their authenticity cannot be doubted! Remember to partake in the coffee and popcorn ritual in the little backhouse when you finish your food. You will not regret it. Ethiopia is home to some of the world’s best coffee and there’s no better place than Abyssinia to have a cuppa.