I have always been a communal dinner kinda girlie. At my first-ever grown-up dinner party in my own place, I popped a whole roasted chicken into the center of the table with some pan sauce and a Lebanese garlic dip and let everyone have at it. We started out using utensils and ended by pulling meat off the bird with our fingers. Everyone there still talks about how good it was. We demolished everything. In the spirit of communal dining, this month’s food crush is the full Tasting Platter at Mahider, an authentic Ethiopian restaurant in Salt Lake City. They serve various traditional Ethiopian dishes, both vegan and with meat, “using recipes passed down through the generations.” The Taste of Mahider platter comes with Doro Wot, Siga Wot, Alicha Wot and all the vegan greens, pulses and purees. The giant, brightly colored platter arrives at the table with dolloped portions spaced out for each person, and the earthy spices hit your nose all at once. The bigger the group, the bigger the platter. All together, you’ll get to try 12 dishes, including a light tomato and jalapeno salad and a crumbly fresh cheese.
Everything is served on top of a spongy, platter-sized flatbread called Injera. Made from teff flour and fermented like sourdough, it is best described as a tart, crepe or dosa-like bread that is smooth on one side with holes dotting the surface from the ferment. Injera takes the place of rice, bread, plate and the delivery method to get food to your mouth. There is no flatware on the table. You’ll scoop up stews, purees and braised meats with torn-off Injera. The bread soaks up everything and makes each bite that much more flavorful.
Remember that all the preparations that don’t explicitly have meat in them are vegan. You can even get a separate “vegan-only” platter, which makes this my spot for taking mixed-food-preference friends for dinner. The meat eaters will be happy. The vegans will be satisfied. And everyone will walk away full. I also love that you’ll get a sampling of dishes made with red lentils, yellow lentils, split peas, and garbanzo beans on every platter. This is my spot as a wholehearted bean lover and mildly reformed vegetarian.
I recommend visiting Mahider with a group of four people or more. Start with the Lentil Sambusa, then get some Ethiopian red wine to go with your tasting platter. Eat slowly. Discuss your favorite dishes. Mix and match portions. Laugh at how much fun it is to eat with your hands. End with Buna, the Ethiopian-style black coffee. And enjoy gathering ‘round the communal table. And see if you don’t develop a crush as well
The Secret is in The Spice — Ethiopian Berbere Spice Blend
While talking about Ethiopian food, let’s make a quick note about Berbere, one of the Ethiopian staple spice blends. Much like the euphonious “curry,” which can be a dish, a spice blend, a plant, or a catch-all for food cooked in a spicy gravy, Berbere can mean several things. It can be a spice blend, a type of chile, and a catch-all for a series of herbs or spices that aren’t well-known internationally (yet). Generally speaking, Berbere, the spice mix, is blended with chile peppers, coriander, ginger, garlic and fenugreek. But every family has their own recipe. And I expect the same is the case at Mahider. Ethiopian food is well-spiced with lingering warmth rather than big mouth-searing heat.
Some of my favorite dishes include:
Doro Wot—Fall-off-the-bone chicken legs simmered in a rich and spicy stew with berbere, caramelized onions, garlic and served with Ayib, a fresh cheese similar to ricotta, but more crumbly. The rich cheese cuts the heat from some of the other dishes. Since we are all used to eating chicken legs out of hand, this is a good foray into eating all the other dishes with fingers and Injera.
Gomen—Chopped collard greens steamed with garlic spices. Believe it or not, this is my favorite dish from the entire platter. The greens are bitter and stewed down until they are soft. I love scooping up some of the collards along with a bite of one of the meat stews to balance out the richness and spice.
Shiro Wot—Roasted chickpeas, pureed and then simmered with garlic, tomatoes, and onion. When it is done cooking, it is more sauce than stew. But what a sauce!
Siga Wot—Cubed beef with caramelized onions, berbere, and other spices slow simmered into a stew. This is the most dense dish on the platter and is worth eating with the fresh tomato/jalapeno salad that comes with it.
