Atakilt Wat — Ethiopian Cabbage, Potato & Carrot Stew (Budget)

Name: Atakilt Wat — Ethiopian Cabbage, Potato & Carrot Stew (Budget)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Ethiopian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 piece yellow onion; 3 clove garlic; 1 tbsp fresh ginger; 1 tbsp turmeric powder; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp berbere; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 3 piece potato; 3 piece carrot; 1 head green cabbage; 240 ml low-sodium vegetable broth; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp fresh cilantro; 2 cup cooked white rice

A simple, inexpensive Ethiopian vegetable stew of cabbage, potatoes and carrots simmered with turmeric and warm spices. Hearty, vegan and easy to stretch to feed four on a tight budget.

50 min

start to finish

15 min

hands on

Easy

difficulty

servings

4 servings

Ingredients

Roughly, per serving

270 kcal6g protein48g carbs10g fat

An estimate, not a lab analysis.

Method

Prepare the vegetables: thinly slice the onion, mince the garlic, grate the ginger, peel and cube the potatoes, slice the carrots, and shred the cabbage.
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.
Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown.
Browning the onion builds flavor; lower heat if it browns too quickly.
Add the minced garlic and grated ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant.
Stir in the turmeric, cumin, optional berbere, salt and pepper and cook briefly to toast the spices.
Add the cubed potatoes and sliced carrots and toss to coat with the spiced onion mixture.
Add the shredded cabbage and pour in the vegetable broth or water, stirring to combine.
Bring the pot to a gentle simmer, then cover and let simmer until the potatoes and carrots are tender and the cabbage has wilted.
Check once halfway and stir to prevent sticking; add 2–4 tbsp water if the pot looks dry.
Uncover and increase the heat to medium-high for a few minutes to evaporate excess liquid and thicken the stew slightly, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust seasoning with more salt or pepper if needed.
Turn off the heat and let the stew sit for 5 minutes to rest and let flavors meld.
Serve hot over cooked rice or with injera; garnish with chopped cilantro if using.

Worth knowing

Berbere adds traditional depth and heat; omit it if you want a milder, cheaper dish.
If you don't have vegetable broth, use water plus a 1/2 vegetable bouillon cube for more flavor.
To stretch the dish further and add protein on a budget, stir in a drained 15-oz can of chickpeas with the potatoes.
Leftovers keep 3–4 days in the fridge and reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water.
If serving with injera bought from a store, check the package: some commercial injera include wheat and contain gluten.

Make it yours

Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.

VegetarianVeganGluten-freeBudgetMeal prep

More Ethiopian cooking

An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Ethiopian cooking, not any restaurant's recipe. Written to be vegetarian and vegan and gluten-free as listed.