Tikil gomen | Ethiopian cabbage is a quick dish served as a side with Injera. If you are looking for vegetarian or vegan food Ethiopia has a number of plant-based choices. They are very healthy. The Ethiopian platter consists of lentils, vegetables, and salad. If you want to try some Ethiopian recipes at home try investing in some spices that are always helpful for most vegan foods.
You can find an array of Ethiopian dishes lining up in this blog but today I’m sharing one easy dish to get you started – Tikel gomen – that’s made with carrots, cabbage, and potatoes. A simple and tasty introduction to Ethiopian food.
Table of Contents
Food for the thought
Listen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we don’t listen with the intent to reply. We listen for what’s behind the words.”
― Roy T. Bennett,
Benefits of the ingredients (source)
Vegetables: contain minerals, vitamins, and nutrients.
Video for Tikil gomen | Ethiopian cabbage
Steps for preparing Ethiopian cabbage
- Chop the vegetables into big chunks.
- In a pan add olive oil, onions and cook until they are translucent.
- Add carrots, potatoes, spice powders and mix well. Cover till the vegetables are soft.
- Once they are cooked add cabbage and cover the lid for 5 minutes.
- Serve with injera.
Variations
There are not many variations, since it already has very few ingredients.
Use fresh ginger if you don’t find dry ginger powder.
Reduce the amount of olive oil.
You can add jalapeno for the spice.
Other potato dishes
Questions/Tips
What are the vegetables I can add in Tikil gomen?
Traditionally, the vegetables added in tikil gomen are carrots, potatoes, and cabbage. If you do not want potatoes you can skip them or replace with sweet potato.
Can I use water to cook the vegetables?
It is usually a kind of stir fries, so we don’t add water. By covering with the lid and cooking, the vegetables will be soft and cooked. If need sprinkle few teaspoon of water.
What if I don’t have spices for Ethiopian dishes?
This dish does not call for more spice, but if you are planning to do berbere powder at home. You need to buy spice. If you love trying international cuisines, then you can buy the spices.
Meal prep for Tikil gomen | Ethiopian cabbage
Once you have prepared tikil gomen it can stay good for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. When you froze the vegetables it has a tendency to leave the water, which definitely will not taste as good as the fresh ones. Since it is so simple to prepare, I suggest you chop all the vegetables and keep them in separate bags. When ready to cook use the vegetables which will save you 10 minutes for sure.
Recipe card
Tikil gomen | Ethiopian cabbage
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 medium red onion chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 2 potatoes chopped
- 2 cups cabbage chopped into big chunks
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Chop the vegetables into big chunks.
- On a heated pan, add olive oil, onions and fry till the onions are transuclent.
- Add chopped carrots and potatoes. Add all the spices ground pepper, cumin, ginger, turmeric , and salt and cover and cook for 5 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
- Then add cabbage and mix well. Check for salt. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are cooked.
Notes
- Reduce the olive oil if you feel it is more.
- Do not add water. Covering the pan with a lid helps the vegetable to cook with the moisture in it.
- If you don’t have ground ginger you can add fresh ginger.