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Chef Ilona Daniel serves Canadian food at special party in Addis Ababa, learns new local cuisine and empowers female cooks by sharing her knowledge, skills and stories
My trip to Ethiopia was an unexpected blessing that has changed my life, as all of my travels do.
It has been about a month and half since I’ve returned from Africa, and I’m still finding new lessons and perspectives from my brief, yet transformative trip.
I was invited by Philip Baker, Canadian ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti, to be the hosting chef for the Canada 150 celebrations at the Canadian embassy in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.
Creating a menu utilizing both Canadian and Ethiopian ingredients was no small feat. As a chef, two skills one must continually hone are the ability to be adaptable and a sense of imagination. The concept of Canadian cuisine is one I often reflect upon, as it can be very difficult to clearly define. We are a nation which celebrates diversity in culture, and cuisine is a cornerstone of cultural identity. We have roots and traditions that range from our First Nations to the countless waves of immigrants from all corners of the earth. I wanted to express my love for as much of our cultural tapestry as possible, while keeping it simple, straightforward and approachable.
I knew lobster was a key ingredient; what better way to champion and celebrate Prince Edward Island? It was a surreal moment in my career, preparing lobster rolls in Africa, and is still something I can hardly believe I had the opportunity to do. The nearly 1,000 guests of the ambassador loved our lobster, I must joyfully share.
Another important, and in many ways the most treasured part of my trip, was the request to work with local women to prepare this meal. Part of the
diplomatic mission for Canada in Ethiopia is to help raise the
status of women and children. I shared my knowledge, skills and stories with female cooks and expressed the wisdom I have learned along the way, which has allowed me to develop a strong personal brand. Ultimately, I feel I am the one who learned the most. Life is truly a wonder when viewed through the lens of simplicity, and authenticity. I enjoyed cooking and sharing stories with my kitchen crew. I will never forget it.
As for the Ethiopian cuisine, I had the great opportunity to taste fantastic feasts of the real deal, as well as numerous tiny cups of traditional Ethiopian coffee. The flavours of much of the cuisine lean to the deep, earthy musky flavours from the foundational spices grown in the area. The staple of the national cuisine is injera, which is made from a fermented teff flour batter and is crepe like. The most popular stews served with Injera are composed of either beef or red lentils.
Ethiopian Style Beef Stew
Created2 Tbsp vegetableby chef Ilonaoil Daniel 2 Tbsp butter 2 cups yellow onion, finely chopped 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 Tbsp chopped ginger 1½ Tbsp berbere 2 Tbsp water 3 plum tomatoes, diced
1 lb beef (eye of round roast), cut into ½ inch cubes
1 tsp salt 2 jalapeños, deseeded and sliced 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Heat oil and butter in a non-stick pan over high heat. When the butter begins to foam, add the onions, ginger and garlic. Cook for about 4 minutes until the onions become translucent. Stay diligent with the stirring; don’t burn the garlic! Stir in the berbere spice and cook out for 1 minute.
Add tomatoes, and the water and cook for another 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add beef and mix well until the meat cubes are well coated with gravy. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the meat is cooked and still tender. If the sauce is too thick you can add another tablespoon of water. Add salt, jalapenos and rosemary. Give it a last stir and let it cook for 3 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Ethiopian Style Braised Red Lentils
Created by chef Ilona Daniel ½ cup red lentils, rinsed 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 2 Tbsp butter 1 cup onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 tbsp ginger, finely chopped 2 cups water 1 ½ Tbsp berbere spice
½ tsp salt
Place lentils in a small bowl and rinse well with cold. Cover with water and let them soak for about 10 minutes.
Heat butter and oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Sautee the onions, ginger and garlic. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes until the onions become translucent. Add ¼ cup of water and cook for another 3 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add berbere spice, stir well and cook for 5 more minutes. Drain the lentils and then add them to the pan along with the salt and the rest of the water.
Bring to a boil, cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Let it simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning as needed.
Eat it Now Injera Bread
2 cups self-rising flour ½ cup Teff or whole wheat flour ½ tsp baking soda
4 cups club soda or beer (or a mix of both)
Combine all the dry ingredients, and whisk in the wet ingredients. Cook in a non-stick pan lightly sprayed between injeras over medium-high heat. In Use a ½ cup measure to portion out the batter. Cook like crepes. When holes appear, the injera is done. Do not cook the other side.
Injera Bread
A traditional Ethiopian recipe 1 ½ cups teff flour 2 cups water 1 ½ tsp salt
Oil for the pan
Combine the water and the teff flour and leave out on the counter covered only with a kitchen towel until the mixture begins to bubble and become sour. Depending on the weather and temperature in your home, this can happen overnight or it may take up to 3 days. Stir in salt. The mixture should have the same consistency of a thin pancake batter
Heat up an 8-inch non-stick frying pan over medium and spray with pan spray. Pour about ¼ cup of batter into the pan and quickly swirl the batter so it will cover the bottom of the pan.
The injera will cook quickly. Once the bubbles start forming, and firming up, remove the injera from the pan. This batter-like bread is only cooked on one side. Co not brown the injera.
Place parchment, wax or plastic wrap between each injera to prevent them from sticking to one another.