Teff Love: Adventures in Vegan Ethiopian Cooking

Really good instructions and practical tips in this cookbook, especially for making injera. It takes a solid week from start to finish to make the injera, but it came out great. Not exactly like you would find in a restaurant, but like Kittee (the author) explains, restaurants usually use a combination of wheat and teff flours so if you only use teff, it's going to be a little different. Mine was thicker than restaurant injera, but it tasted perfect, and had a nice soft spongy texture. And since we are gluten free in this household, I wanted to learn how to make 100% teff injera. Lots of great suggestions on how to source ingredients and what to look for. I had to order a few things from Amazon. Don't expect to be able to get the book and make Ethiopian food that very day. I mean, sure, you can, but you might not have all the herbs and stuff you need to make it really authentic tasting. So plan on giving yourself a week to get everything together, make the spiced cooking oil, ferment the teff, etc. Cooking the actual dishes is quite simple, and the vast majority of the ingredients are easy to find at any grocery store (potatoes, lentils, carrots, cabbage, onions, etc.). We do a lot of Indian cooking as well so we already had most of the spices for the dishes. As a matter of personal taste, I didn't love the collard greens recipe. I made it as instructed, and it was quite bitter. I have a lot of experience cooking collards so next time I will probably alter that recipe a bit to my own personal taste - perhaps boil the greens first to wash out some of the bitter flavor, add some agave and lemon juice maybe; I'm not sure exactly. But the other dishes I made were excellent. All in all I'm very, very happy with this book. And I'm grateful to Kittee for putting it all together in one big VEGAN reference (all the vegans out there know what I'm talking about ... sure, we can adapt any recipe and make it vegan but it's so nice when we don't have to!). I told our next door neighbors I was going to invite them over for an Ethiopian feast once I have a couple of attempts under my belt, and they are really looking forward to it!

This is an early review--early because I've just received the book and want to provide my first impressions, though I haven't tried most of the recipes yet. I will update the review after cooking! (EDITED TO ADD: Now I have. See below.) Kittee Berns has written an exhaustive and updated book about Ethiopian vegan cuisine, the "fasting food" that has long been a part of Ethiopian culture. This is a gorgeous book that is well-laid-out and exudes the author's signature sense of homey style. It has tons of information without being fluffy or overwritten, features colorful and inviting pictures, and has common-sense explanations of how to execute traditionally-tricky recipes like injera--the teff-based Ethiopian sourdough that is the basis for the title of this tome. Ms. Berns has organized the book well and has tagged the recipes according to her categorization system; the reader/cook can choose from traditional Ethiopian recipes that form the basis of popular combination plates, quick-fix versions of traditional recipes, and "fusion" recipes with a twist of Ethiopian flavors, among other treats. She provides helpful information, such as how to store ingredients and finished recipes, and how long they will last in the fridge or freezer. Nutritional information is additionally provided, and the book is friendly to those with celiac or otherwise following a gluten-free diet. Every time I was about to ask a question about a recipe, I found the information I wanted in the instructions or footnotes. She demonstrates respect for Ethiopian culture and tradition while bringing her own flair to this style of cooking. "Teff Love" is clearly a labor of love, and--oh, please forgive me--Ajwain to say that I'm berbere glad shirote it. Edits and Updates (for anyone still reading after the bad puns): I don't think I ever previously cooked 6 recipes from a single cookbook in one 24-hour period, but I did so with Teff Love. I think Ethiopian cooking lends itself to a slow prep process: The first week you make your injera starter and make some of the seasoned oil and spice blends, then you start your injera, then you have on hand what you need to whip up most recipes in a snap. (Except the injera. I recommend finding it locally if you can, already made, due to the amount of time required to make the real thing.) I was worried about the spiced oil/butter recipe because it had lots of cinnamon and cloves and I don't like sweet mixed in with my savory, but the flavor of the oil is AMAZING. (I used a container of Earth Balance as the base.) I made a shiro recipe, mild lentils, mild collard greens, toasted injera, and the black-pepper blend. Everything was a winner, with complex and nuanced flavors. I did bother to seek out the specialty ingredients and it made a big difference in the authenticity of the flavors; the author helpfully provides ingredient names in Amharic and Hindi where necessary to help you locate the correct item in a specialty market. This book is a triumphant marriage of clear explanations and explosive flavor combinations. I can't wait to try more dishes!

I like this book. I've tried about 5 recipes and all were easy to follow, no mistakes/typo's found and all tasted very nice and very close to what I'd get in a local restaurant. There are color photos, not many, and each shows a handful of recipes so you don't get a picture of everything right there to look at when you're cooking. They do tell you above some recipes that the photo of that dish is on page such and such. I have some minor issues, more of pet peeves then issues with the recipes themselves. For some reason the author takes easy to find basic spice mixes and ghee (all here at Amazon in Brundo store including vegan ghee), and calls them something you've never heard of. Two of her favorite new names are very similar....ye'gimen zeyet and ye'wot gimem. I cannot remember which is what and therefore I have to keep going back through the book to look up what each was....one is niter kibbeh ghee and the other is mekelesha spice blend. Why in the world she can't call them by the correct name, the name Ethiopians call them and most of us would recognize, is beyond me...and irritating. My next peeve is in using spice mixes, like shiro or awaze or berbere. This is hard to explain so bare with me. She discusses buying these mixes yet in the recipes, she doesn't tell you how much of them to use other than berbere. I have both shiro and awaze and yet when I look at those recipes there is no quantity given for using the premade spice mix, instead, she lists each spice individually. When you see the long list of spices I can't tell which are making up her homemade awaze or shiro, versus which are adding something to the dish. So if I want to use my store bought mix I'm at a loss for how much to use and what to remove from the list of ingredients. I will warn you the quantity of food each recipe makes is about 4 cups on average. That doesn't sound like much but if you want to eat like an Ethiopian, with five or more spoonfuls of various dishes on one plate, you end up with a TON of food. We can't justify making five different recipes, each making 4 cups or more in order to make an authentic Ethiopian platter. Yes, I've tried freezing things but it's never the same.

For health reasons, I have had to adopt a vegan, gluten-free diet. It's a big lifestyle change to make. If I could eat Ethiopian food all the time, though, not a problem! Nearest restaurant: 250 miles. I waited for Teff Love to come out and then invested in some supplies and spent some time reading and then gave it a whirl. I am 8 recipes in and am making my first ersho...and for dinner, on this busy no-time annoying day, I decided to have actual cooked food. Sorghum porridge. Does this sound like something you will need to have at least three times a week? It is better than the best mashed potatoes ever. I have stewed vegetable leftovers in the fridge for tomorrow, too. Maybe with some porridge... Teff Love is a pretty and well-organized book, and it's uncrowded. Recipes are easy to follow both in how they are written and visually presented. Most recipes have at least one variation appended. I have had insane success with everything this far. This is not usual. I have also tested a number of wots and cooked vegetables on my fiancée, who said, "I would eat that!" This also is not usual. My copy of Teff Love already looks well-loved, and I have carried it around with me for a day or two somewhat talismanically. Do be aware: you will require a bunch of specialized ingredients. If you are health-stuck and/or determined, as I am, this is not insurmountable, and Berns includes a list of suppliers. If you have any interest whatsoever in cooking Ethiopian food at home, this is the book for you. There is really nothing in here I don't want to try. I have never had this reaction to a cookbook before. Given that the recipes make lots of food, if some time can be invested on the weekend, you can have lunch feasts all week. I (cheated and used rice as a base but) had portions of five different dishes every day last week. It felt decadent. I can see where this book is going to be a major life strategy in the Great Migraine Battle. Amen.

First of all, I have never written an Amazon review before but felt compelled to share how excellent Teff Love is. This cookbook is visually very pleasing with multiple photo inserts of many of the dishes. The set up is functional with foundation recipes at the beginning. The chapters are then divided into different types of Ethiopian cuisine (Kay Wot, Alicha Wot, Shiro, Dumplings, etc) which makes it easy to plan a menu. Kittee has also included sample menus and advice / tips for parties and gatherings. I have absolutely loved everything that I have made so far. I debated about whether it would be worth it to make the foundation recipe ye'qimem zeyet (seasoned oil), but it adds amazing flavor to the dishes. The other recipes I've tried include: Dat'a (spicy green-pepper relish): Delicious. I'm going to make this all the time. I imagine it will be amazing on all sorts of grains and veggies or even as a dip. Ye'misser wot be 'timatim (red lentils in a spicy tomato sauce): Another great dish. It was spicy, savory and had a very authentic flavor. Ye'nech bakela alicha (creamy, garlicky white beans in an onion-tumeric sauce): This recipe was easy to throw together but tasted wonderful. I loved the rich garlic flavor combined with the seasoned oil. Tempeh salad: I know I will make this at least once a week. It reminds me of a combination of a savory waldorf salad and chicken salad. The apples, celery, and tempeh with a spicy sauce are genius. This is going to be a sack lunch staple for me. There are dozens more recipes that I cannot wait to try. You can tell that the author is very passionate and spent a great deal of time to make this cookbook perfect. I really appreciated her writing in depth about the different spices and which ones are optional versus essential for the flavor profile of the dish. I made one trip to a local Ethiopian market and now have all the basics to cook my way through this book. One final note - I have never met or had contact with this author prior to the cookbook release. I emailed her when I received my copy and asked her about the best place to find the specialized ingredients (we both live in Portland). She immediately contacted me with very thoughtful recommendations and even offered to meet me at the market to show me around. How awesome is Kittee?! I have several hundred vegan and non-vegan cookbooks, and Teff Love is in my top few. Highly recommended.

The recipes are likely very authentic, but it's too hard to actually be able to make anything without dedicated effort. I made a few after I first got this book and they turned out ok. I got decent at making the faux injera at least. But most of the recipes reference all these other recipes of spice mixes to make which then reference other spices that aren't going to be in your cabinet or easy to find. Unless I was planning to try these recipes regularly, making the spice blends would be a waste. Some recipes require you to first make 2 spice blends before even starting just in order to use a small amount (1/2 teaspoon of one for one recipe). I really wish these were simpler recipes so I could actually make them and not have to leave half the ingredients out.

I've tried several of these recipes and they've all turned out fabulous. Super tasty! Vegan and gluten-free. Easy instructions to follow with a successful turnout. That said, I haven't tried her recipe for the most essential ingredient, berbere. She does offer a recipe for berbere paste. Before this book came out, I had made berbere paste following a recipe from an old TimeLife book on African cooking. So, I actually wanted to make these recipes with a ground berbere, and she suggests purchasing a ground berbere from an Ethiopian market. I followed a recipe from Marcus Samuelsson and it tastes great in all of her recipes, but I have also bought ground berbere from a few Ethiopian markets in different cities to compare. If you're interested in making a ground berbere, rather than purchasing one premixed, I've seen another recipe on Saveur.com. I did follow the recipe for the spice oil in this book and it's amazing! Definitely don't skip it for these dishes! Take the effort to make it - you won't be sorry, and your kitchen will smell so aromatic and exotic. My fave recipe in this book is the lasagna roll-ups: I even made the Ethiopian style ricotta cheese. The combinations of flavors is very unique -- probably the most scrumptious lasagna I've ever eaten, and everyone enjoyed it. Loved the spiced-chickpea pancakes and fava bean puree - simple and delicious. The tofu scramble and potato jo jos were super tasty. Best tofu scramble, ever. Also loved the mac and cheese and tempeh salad. If you're frustrated with a lack of good salad dressing recipes -- this book has several that won't disappoint. I've been searching the web for Ethiopian recipes for awhile now -- i've veganized several... but nothing that i've found anywhere compares to this collection of recipes. And I've been having a lot of fun trying Ethiopianized takes on vegan classics! Kudos to Kittee Berns! Thank you for your work of genius - this cookbook is a culinary dream-come-true! I know I'll be having a lot of fun experimenting with this book for many, many years.

This book is amazing!! Great photography of Ethiopian feasts you want to make at home. Simple and clear directions, this is becoming my most used cookbook hands down! The reason why is, I can make inexpensive, healthy and delicious meals. If you like lentil inspired dishes and a lot of new ways to make veggies stand out this is for you. My favorite chapter is on alicha wots, mild golden sauces and stews!!!! So far I've made: Ye' qimen zeyet (seasoned oil) adds amazing flavors when used to cook veggies and lentils!! Ye'difin misser sambusas with lentil sambusa filling - little chickpea pastry pockets! Out of this world reheated the next day with spicy salsa and simply coleslaw. Ye'dubba wot (spicy roasted butternut squash in sauce) - very good but I made it way to hot! I made the mistake of using a commercial berbere blend that only uses cayenne chiles! Ye'difin misser alicha (hearty lentils in a basil, garlic, ginger sauce) - I could eat this almost every night of the week! Ye'atakilt alicha (stewed cabbage, potatoes, carrots in a mild sauce) great weeknight meal, comfort food I've made it twice! Ye'tikil gomen selata (simple cabbage salad with tomato and jalapeño) Italian style vinegtette to top my cabbage and lettuce based salads Azifa - tangy lentil salad bright and zingy There is so much more I want to make including chickpea tofu and homemade injera! The breakfast section also, looks killer. This is a great cookbook for anyone gluten free, plant based, looking to amp up their intake of veggies, Ethiopian food lovers, or for those wanting to brighten up their kitchen with fresh and spicy recipes!

I love ethiopian food in a restaurant and now I can make it at home!. I have made a few recipes out of this book so far. The spiced oil is a must make, it really transforms the dish. I made the pepper blend for the wots, also a keeper recipe really easy to do and made a big difference in the dish. I also did the red lentil wot, and the green bean and carrot dish, both were really good, I found a local source for injera to serve them on. At a later date I also did the Ethiopian Roasted Brussels sprouts, those were amazing and I will definitely make those again. I didn't have all the spices but had quite a few of them, she is definitely correct, you can just leave out the really specialty ones you don't have.

This is my second Ethiopian cookbook, and it's definitely the better of the two. There's a really wide range of recipes, most of which are authentic and some of which are just imaginative re-inventions. I'm a cookbook lover, but this means that I can be very tough on cookbook authors. Kittee definitely delivers. The book: - Has well-tested recipes. I have had success with every one I've tried, which is often not the case with cookbooks these days (and certainly not the case with blogs!). - Draws on fewer exotic ingredients than you might think, given the subject matter. And once you buy a few unusual spices (provided you already have a decent herb/spice collection), you will be able to make a few spice mixtures that are used again and again in the book. Some of the more obscure ingredients are also optional. - Has a useful index that seems to be quite thorough. - Consists of mainly healthy recipes that are simple to make, with a few more indulgent and time-consuming recipes. The 'proper' injera, for instance, takes days to make, but Kittee offers a quick alternative. - Not only is this book vegan, but it is also almost entirely gluten free. - The book draws largely on traditional 'fasting' dishes which are naturally vegan, so you really are getting a quite authentic taste of Ethiopia. Like Kittee, I love Ethiopian but moved to a place where it isn't widely available. This book fills that empty space, and I know I will be using it again and again.

This book represents authentic and healthy cooking. I know the Ethiopian food quite well. This book has plenty of great tasting and spicy reciepts. Highly recommended to all people who love healthy and exotic food. For me as a rasta this is real food that fits our philosophy "Ital is Vital". We are all Ethiopians. Ethiopia is our home. We are all brothers and sisters. This knowledge of cooking should be spread all over the world. We say: One love for TEFF LOVE. Ital is vital. Respect for all the effort the author put into this masterpiece. People who are saying something different don't know anything about Ethiopian culture. This author is Ethiopian to the fullest - no matter what her colour is. She is African because she helps to spread this culture worldwide. Budena or Injera is the most powerful food I know. So no matter where you are from. This book will connect you closer to mother Africa because of the smallest green in the world. Our roots are there in Ethiopia. The vegan way is so helpful for everyone and everything. Environment, health, animals, mankind and climate. Let's spread some love with TEFF LOVE! One love.

Non mi risultano libri in italiano sulle cucine di Eritrea, Somalia e Etiopia (e questa è un po' una cattiva sorpresa); pochissimi sono i testi tutt'oggi reperibili in inglese. Tra questi ultimi, quello di Kittee Berns illumina il panorama grazie ad una grande versatilità delle ricette (quella dell'Injera, ad esempio), alle variabili, alla felicità dei piatti. Il libro è pieno di proposte intelligenti, e anche se accompagnate da poche tavole a colori, il formato e la grafica sono molto user-friendly, il che aggiunge piacevole rilassatezza alla lettura. Per gourmet dai gusti raffinati, non solo per vegani.

A whole new world of Ethiopian culinary adventure awaits in these lavishly illustrated pages, it's really excellent. The only caveat I would add is that these are not beginners recipes and require a certain level of skill. Oh also many of the ingredients required aren't going to be on the shelves of Tesco and you will have to hunt them down elsewhere. But generally if you've got hold of some Teff and some veg you're away. Anyway the results I've got from everything I've tried from this book have been extra yummy.