East African

This East African snack is fluffy, crispy, and mildly sweet—like the best parts of French beignets and American old-fashioned doughnuts combined into one bite.

Quickly seared salmon takes a bath in silky, aromatic coconut curry in this inspired take on East African machi paka. 

The star of this potato frittata is the golden strips of shallow-fried russets suspended in the creamy, peppery, quiche-like filling. 

Kachumber, a classic side salad in Swahili cuisine, balances out rich steak whose marinade is inspired by East African grilled beef skewers called mishkaki. 

Balanced and refreshing, this sparkling soda features plenty of fresh ginger for a sweet heat.

This is everything we want in a hearty, cozy meal: Tender yogurt-marinated chicken in an aromatic tomato curry, lots of caramelized onion, and fluffy Swiss chard rice.

When it comes to frying fish, a whole fish is a whole lot more forgiving than fillets and easier to cook. And did we mention that crispy, flaky skin?

Hot and complex Ethiopian berbere adds a spicy kick to your average roast chicken; roasting root vegetables under the chicken turns this into a one-pan meal.

This version of the classic East African-Indian chicken curry will help you see your broiler in a whole new light.

This hearty vegetarian Ethopian dish from chef Fanta Prada gets its gingery, garlicky kick from awaze, a versatile hot pepper seasoning with a myriad of variations.

Roasted carrots bathed in a buttery, lemony vinaigrette with awaze, a spicy Ethiopian condiment.

A mix of sweet and savory spices means this blend can be used on all kinds of dishes. Toss it with vegetables before roasting, use it as a dry rub on pork or poultry before grilling, or stir it into yogurt and serve with fruit.

Berbere is a spicy chile blend that has floral and sweet notes from coriander and cardamom, and when it’s paired with a honey glaze, it sets these wings apart from anything else you’ve ever had.

Scoop up these warmly spiced chickpeas with any flatbread or spoon them onto rice.

Traditional injera takes a week to make, since you need four days to make the sponge, plus another three to prepare the batter.

This easy dinner is inspired by gomen, an Ethiopian dish in which greens are flavored with an aromatic spiced butter. Breaded tofu is a delightful counterpoint.

A cornerstone of Ethiopian cooking, this clarified butter is infused with spices and herbs native the region, giving it unique flavor and aroma.

These pancakes are quick to cook and are typically eaten for breakfast. Spread them with a little butter, ghee, or sesame oil and sprinkle with sugar if you’d like. Serve with hot tea or alongside cups of Shaah Cadays.

This Ethiopian dish of chickpeas in a berbere-spiced, flaxseed-thickened sauce makes for a quick, filling, and wonderfully flavorful meal.

This spicy Ethiopian dipping sauce is made from whisking berbere spice blend honey wine, beer, arak, or even just a mixture of water and honey.

This tropical dish, adapted from the Mnemba Island Lodge off the coast of Zanzibar, pairs chiles-piced mangos with freshly grilled shrimp. Complex in flavor and easy in execution, this sweet, spicy, and creamy entrée makes a balanced and beautiful meal that Epicurious members make again and again.

In the land of milk and honey, injera may be the staple, but it is not the only kind of bread. In the morning, it's dabo—honey bread—that graces the Ethiopian breakfast table. Unlike the pancakelike injera, dabo is a European-style loaf that is typically slathered with shiro, a chickpea spread. It highlights one of the distinctive characteristics of Ethiopian cooking: sweeteners are very rarely used, but an element of sweetness is introduced through other means, such as sugary coffees and teas; tej, a syrupy honey wine; or this dense breakfast bread, which lends a gentle sweetness to the start of the day.

The mixture known as nit'ir qibe, which begins with clarified butter, is kept handy in most Ethiopian kitchens to add flavor to meat and vegetable stews. In fact, virtually no meal in Ethiopia is made without nit'ir qibe, which gives the cooking its beautifully layered signature flavors. It also has a much longer shelf life than regular butter—an important consideration in poor man's cooking, where waste is not an option. The butter will solidify when chilled, but it will become liquid again when left at room temperature.

In Ethiopia, the preparation of berbere takes days—chilies are dried in the sun for three days, then ground in a mortar and pestle, mixed with ground spices, and set in the sun to dry again—and it is usually made in huge amounts. Each Ethiopian family has its own recipe for this universal seasoning, with varying degrees of heat and spiciness. Traditionally, berbere is used to flavor Ethiopian stews, but I also like to use it as a rub for beef and lamb.