In Grow Pittsburgh’s school garden programs, we like to emphasize the importance of learning about and celebrating different cultural backgrounds, and our Winter Cooking Program provides a wonderful opportunity to do so. Each week our Garden Educators focus on a specific region or country, discuss cultural aspects of that area, and make a prominent food from that region.
This cooking season, Ethiopia was the focus of a lesson. The students learned about the teff plant, how it is used to make injera, and the cultural practices used when eating injera. Students then had the opportunity to make Tikil Gomen, an Ethiopian dish with cabbage and potatoes. In traditional Ethiopian fashion, the dish was served atop injera.
Tikil Gomen
2 tbsp olive oil
3 onions, diced
5 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 inch of ginger, finely chopped
1 1/4 tbsp turmeric
4 carrots, thinly sliced
3 potatoes, diced
1 head of cabbage, thinly sliced
Injera (Ethiopian flatbread)
Directions
1. Boil a pot of water and add cabbage. Cook until soft, strain, and set aside.
2. In a sauté pan, heat olive oil. Add onion, garlic, and ginger; cook until translucent.
3. Add turmeric and carrots, sauté for 5 minutes.
4. Add potatoes and cook until tender.
5. Mix in cabbage.
6. Serve with injera
Many thanks to Pittsburgh’s own Tana Ethiopian Cuisine, who provided the students with the injera. You can head over to Tana to treat yourself to Ethiopian dishes or pick up an order of injera to serve with this dish at home! Order online on their website or by calling 412-655-2770.