Dish of Teff Salad
(click to enlarge)

Teff Salad


East Africa, Ethiopia
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3 #
***
2-1/4 hrs
Most		 In Ethiopia, Teff is usually ground to flour for making Injera, but some is used as whole grain for porridge and salads. This is an arranged salad rather than a tossed salad.

1
2-1/2
1
1
1
1/4
-------
10
7
--------
7
ar
--------


1
1-1/2
1/2
c
c
T
T
t
t
---
oz
oz
---
oz

---


T
T
c
Teff, whole (1)  
Water
Parsley, flat
Mint, fresh
Salt
Pepper
-- Salad
Lettuce (2)
Cherry Tomatoes
-- Topping
Cheese, fresh (3)
Mitmita Spice (4)
------------

Vinaigrette
Lemon Juice
Vinegar, Wine (5)
Olive Oil
PREP   -   (1-3/4 hrs - 45 min work)
  1. In a sauté pan, dry toast the TEFF until aromatic, then pour in 3 cups Water. Bring to a boil, then turn to a simmer and cover. Stir frequently until Teff is tender but still "al-dente", about 15 minutes, and all free liquid should have been just absorbed. Pour into a bowl and set aside to cool completely, then refrigerate.
  2. Chop PARSLEY and MINT fine. Mix. Measure is moderately packed.
  3. Shred LETTUCE fairly small - weight is for whole heads, before shredding and discarding white stems. Refrigerate.
  4. Slice CHERRY TOMATOES in half crosswise, or crosswise two ways if quite large. Refrigerate.
  5. Squeeze LEMON JUICE and mix together all Vinaigrette items in a small jar. Refrigerate.
RUN   - &nbps; (20 min)
  1. Fluff the CHEESE with a fork and season sparingly with Mitmita.
  2. Fluff Teff with a fork and stir in Parsley mix, Salt and Pepper.
  3. Shake up the Dressing and pour 1/4 of it into the Teff. Continue to fluff until it is well distributed.
  4. In a mixing bowl, toss together Lettuce and remaining Dressing.
  5. Assemble for serving - Lettuce mix as the base, Tomatoes scattered around, Teff in the center, topped with the Cheese. This can be done in individual bowls or in a large shallow serving bowl to be spooned out. Note that the 10 inch bowl in the photo contains lexx than 1/2 of this recipe, and will serve adequately as a lunch salad for two.
  6. Serve cool.
NOTES:

  1. Teff:

      A staple grain of Ethiopia, now grown in quantity in North America to supply Ethiopian restaurants. It's available on line from several vendors, in both brown and ivory, and from some upscale markets. For details see our Teff page.

  2. Lettuce:

      This is to be a loose leaf lettuce, preferably one with somewhat curly leaves, or a mix of such lettuces.

  3. Cheese, Fresh:

      This should be a crumbly, acid coagulated, fresh cheese, like Farmers Cheese.

  4. Mitmita:

      This is the hot chili spice mix of Ethiopia and Eritrea, in comparison to Berbere which is relatively mild. It is simple and easily made by our recipe Mitmita Spice Mix

  5. Vinegar:

      Red or White Wine Vinegar, or Balsamic Vinegar, can be used. These are all "authentic" due to lingering influence from Italian rule of the region.

  6. Comments:

      If this salad is made ahead, or if only part will be served now with the rest later, you can dress all the Teff and prepare all the cheese, but dress only the amount of Lettuce to be used now, bagging the rest and refrigerating. Leftover Teff and Cheese should be separately bagged and refrigerated as well.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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