Cooking with Flax (traditional raw flax recipe)

[Guest guest]

Hi!

 

Just wanted to share a very healthy flax seed recipe from my country, Ethiopia. It's especially helpful if you can find "enjera" (ethio bread, which is a pancake-like dough).

 

Measurements really depend on your taste. The more water, the thinner..obviously.

 

Add flax seeds, drinking water and sea salt (to taste) to a blender.

Blend until the seeds almost disappear. The result will be very grainy milky liquid.

Strain the liquid.

Place the strained milky flax liquid in the fridge while you cut up little pieces of "enjera" into a bowl. Once the bowl is full of pieces of enjera and the flax milk is cool (some might prefer room temperature, but traditionally it's served cold) - - pour the liquid into the bowl, over the enjera and gently mix so as not to create mush. Gently, gently. And voila, grab yourself a spoon (or your fingers) and enjoy one the world's most ancient and healthiest vegan foods.

 

If you happen to live near an Ethiopian restaurant, as of yesterday it is lent season for orthodox Ethiopians. During lent, Ethiopians are vegan (very few eat fish). So at the restaurant ask for the lent special. You will be amazed at the rich vegan foods on your plate. The flax dish is called "telba".

 

If you try this, please let me know how it turned out! If you're in the Washington DC/VA/MD area, I can tell you where to find enjera.

 

Beast regards,

Root

[Guest guest]

message to Root-

 

I live in Baltimore, MD and would love to know where to find enjera, and if

you know of any good Ethiopian restaurants in Baltimore or DC. Thanks!

Sharon

[Guest guest]

Sharon,

I live just outside of DC. There are tons of Ethiopian restaurants in DC. The Adams Morgan area -18th and Columbia Rd. is home to at least 5 that I can think of.

The best one I've found is called Zed's it's in Georgetown on M St.

As far as injera is concerned. I don't know about Baltimore natural food stores. The Takoma Park/Silver Spring Co-op carries it, as does My Organic Market both in College Park and Rockville.

Good luck,

Laura

[Guest guest]

Hi Lisa, Laura, Shanon & everyone else ~

 

Let's see...I am more familiar with the areas of MD that are closest to DC.

I have been to the Ethiopian restaurant in Baltimore, which was quite some

time ago and I do not remember seeing or hearing of any others in Baltimore.

There are a few that I can tell you about in Silver Spring, but if you come

all the way to SS, you might as well come to Adam's Morgan in DC where you'll

have a variety of restaurants to chose from, and a wonderfully ethnically

diverse street (18th Street starting from Columbia Road all the way down to

Florida Avenue) to stroll and enjoy. Also, you could shop at one of the 2

Ethiopian Markets for spices, enjera, lentils and pretty much everything an

Ethiopian away from home would need to feel at home. The one market is

called Merkato, which literally means market and was borrowed from the

Italians who settled in Ethiopia once upon a time. The other store is Adisu

Gebeya, which means the new market. Let's see...both Merkato and Adisu

Gebeya are on 18th St.. Merkato is between California Ave. & Wyoming

Avenue.. Adisu Gebeya is between Wyoming Ave. & Kalorama Ave. As for Silver

Spring, I have been to some nicely stocked stores there and also in Wheaton

but honestly, I have to find out their names!

Most, if not all Ethiopian markets sell legumes, grains and raw coffee in

bulk.

One thing that is a personal serious put-off for me is the butcher side of

the store. Sometimes it's hard to avoid seeing the butchers at work on

pieces of a cadavre.

 

Favorite restaurants.... As a native, I don't enjoy the food at Zed's (sorry

Laura!) as I find it to be taylored to western taste. Not the real thing, in

other words. Also, it is too pricy (which is why it's in Georgetown)

compared to the more reasonably priced menus in Adam's Morgan. In Adam's

Morgan, my favorites have to be Addis Abeba (not flashy environment but food

is um um good), the Eritrean restaurant (Eritrean food is just as Ethiopian

food - they are neighboring countries) Harambe (must order the Shiro).

Pretty much that's it for my favorites, among all the umpteen other

restaurants. A great Eritrean breakfast spot is Keren Restaurant on Florida

Avenue & 18th St. There, you must order the Foul. If you're vegan, ask for

it without yogurt. Foul is basically our Chili. It's fava beans sauteed in

olive oil, garlic,spices..a side of raw chopped onions, tomatoes and

jalapenos and some freshly oven warmed bread. The tea is divine. I am

getting hungry. Please forgive my indulgence as food is my passion. If you

want to talk about vegan foods internationally, please write me!

 

There are other very good but more expensive restaurants of course. There's

Meskerem for example, and Red Sea and Fasika's. The food is good and the

fare a bit more expensive.

 

Regards,

Root