Flaxseed Sauce with Tomatoes and Berbere (Telba Wot)

Recipe by Tsehay's Kitchen

A lip-smacking delicious and easy telba wot to enjoy over this last stretch of lent or anytime.

Red Fox's flaxseed meal is made with black flaxseed sourced from the highlands of Gojam. It's carefully roasted and blended with Ethiopian holy basil (besobila), rue (tena adam), coriander seeds (dinbilal), garlic (nech shinkurt), bishop’s weed (nech azmud), salt (chew) and a small amount of fire-roasted barley (gebs).

Featured Spices: Telba | Ethiopian Flaxseed Meal, Berbere | Ethiopian Chili Pepper Blend, The Flavor Makers, Korerima | Ethiopian Cardamom

Ingredients

• ½ cup cooking oil
• 1 large onion, diced small
• 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated (or minced?)
• 1 cup fresh tomatoes, pureed
• 2 tablespoons berbere
• ½ teaspoon nech qimmem
• ½ teaspoon makulaya (tekur qimmem)
• ½ teaspoon mekelesha
• 1 cup telba
• 1 ½ cups water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Korerima (optional)
• Chopped parsley (optional, for garnish)

Step 1
Put the oil in a pot and heat over medium high heat. Add onion, cook and stir for about 5 minutes, until it has become translucent. Add garlic and ginger and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

Step 2
Add tomatoes and keep on cooking and stirring over medium high heat for up to 8 minutes. Lower heat to medium and add the berbere. Add a splash of water at this point to keep the berbere from burning. Add salt and pepper. Korerima can be used instead of black pepper. Keep on cooking the sauce uncovered, for a few more minutes, stirring from time to time. Add nech qimmem, tekur qimmem and mekelesha. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Step 3
While the sauce cooks, mix the telba with about a cup of water using a whisk to prevent lumps. Add half cup of water if needed. Add telba mixture to the sauce and cook for about 10 minutes, until it gets thick, and you see some of the oil separating from the sauce. Taste and correct for salt. If using, stir in chopped parsley once you take the sauce of the heat.

Here is a brief video. Happy Cooking!