Yellow Kik

The cooking began this weekend.  I must stock my freezer with lots of quick and easy healthy foods.  I went to a little Indian market in town to get some fresh injera.  Don't ask me why I go to an Indian market to buy an African bread.  I can't make injera so I buy it where it is available.

I started by making Kik Alicha -- also known as yellow kik by Ladybug.  It is her absolutely favorite dish.  When we go out to an Ethiopian restaurant she refuses to share it with me.  But if you were to tell her that this is what the dish is made of she would likely never touch it.

Yellow split peas, spiced butter, red onion, anaheim pepper, garlic, and ginger.  The spiced butter I make myself, too.  And then I freeze it.  This allows me to grab and cook quickly.  I need to remember to use less ginger than it asks for or the dish takes on a flavor I don't really like.

First think is to use 2 cups of peas and 4 cups of water.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes.  Then drain the water but keep it for later use.

Chop the onion -- feel free to use more than one if you like the flavor.  I use a chopper for quick and easy chopping.  I cry when chopping onions.

Then cook them.  Plain.  Until they sweat (that is a term I heard on Food Network recently).  Do not burn them (like I did).  I will warn you, plain onions cooking in nothing is nasty.  I hate the smell.  I count down the time until I can add the rest of the ingredients and it begins to smell better.

After they begin to sweat (and I have held my breath until I am blue) you can add the butter.  It will begin to smell better almost instantly.

Add the split peas, the spices, and the reserved water.

Stir and simmer. The whole kitchen (or in my case the entire house because I have a small house) will smell wonderful. Simmer.  Stir.

Chop the anaheim peppers.  Do not -- let me repeat that, DO NOT, touch the seeds.  Someone told me that once.  I didn't listen.  I handled the seeds.  Then scratched my eyes.  BURNING.  And anaheim's are suppose to be one of the most mild of all hot peppers.  Some people quarter the pepper then put it in the dish to simmer.  They then remove the pepper before eating.  I mince the pepper and stir it in.

My recipes says to simmer for about 20 minutes and then serve.  I simmer longer -- an hour or more.  Let the peas soften.

I then put about 1 cup in a freezer container, let cool, and freeze.  Less ginger (and not burning the onions) would give more of a yellow color.

Serve with injera.  Ladybug will love it.  One container is good for 2 meals for 2 people (with a second dish).  I have 5 containers in the freezer now.  Enough yellow kik until the new year begins.

Mean Mama