Fasting Wat

About This Recipe

Fasting wat is the heart of Ethiopia's remarkable vegan tradition. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians observe tsom — fasting from all animal products — on every Wednesday and Friday plus long seasons like the 55-day Lent, totaling more than 200 days a year for the devout. On those days, red lentils simmered with slow-cooked onions, garlic, ginger, and berbere become the table's main protein, ladled onto injera as part of a beyaynetu platter alongside greens and split peas. Despite containing no butter or meat, a good fasting wat is deeply savory, its body built entirely from caramelized onions and lentils that melt into the sauce. Everyone eats from one shared plate, scooping with torn injera.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 2 cupsred lentils
• 1/4 cupoil or spiced oil
• 2 largeonions, diced
• 4 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1 tbspfresh ginger, grated
• 2 tspberbere spice
• 1 tspground chili
• 1 tspsalt
• 5 cupswater

Instructions

1. 1

   Sauté aromatics

   Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and add the diced onions. Cook patiently for a full 10 minutes, stirring often, until deeply golden and almost jammy — in Ethiopian cooking this onion base, not stock or butter, is what gives a fasting wat its body. Stir in garlic and ginger for 2 minutes more.

   Ethiopian cooks often start the onions in a dry pot before adding oil; either way, do not rush this stage — pale onions make a thin, flat wat.

2. 2

   Add spices

   Stir the berbere and ground chili into the onions and oil and toast for about 1 minute, stirring constantly so nothing scorches. The mixture should darken to a rich brick red and smell sweetly pungent; add a splash of water if the spices threaten to catch.

3. 3

   Add lentils

   Rinse the red lentils in several changes of water until it runs mostly clear, then stir them into the pot so every lentil is coated in the spiced onion base. Pour in the water, scrape the bottom, and bring everything to a boil.

4. 4

   Simmer

   Drop the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 30–35 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the bottom — red lentils stick easily as they break down. The wat is ready when the lentils have collapsed completely into a thick, spoon-coating purée with no whole lentils visible.

   If it thickens before the lentils fully dissolve, add hot water half a cup at a time rather than raising the heat.

5. 5

   Serve

   Season with salt only at the end (early salting slows the lentils' breakdown), taste, and adjust the berbere if you want more fire. Ladle generously over injera, traditionally alongside gomen and kik alicha for a complete fasting platter.

Variations

• •

  Misir wat firfir: tear day-old injera into the warm stew for a hearty fasting breakfast.

• •

  Alicha-style: omit the berbere and chili and season with turmeric instead for a mild, golden lentil stew.

• •

  Add cubed butternut squash or sweet potato in the last 20 minutes for sweetness and substance.

• •

  Non-fasting version: replace the oil with niter kibbeh for a richer, buttery misir wat outside fasting days.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat gently with a splash of water, stirring, as it sets very thick when cold.

Frequently Asked Questions