Beef stew (siga wat)Dark and spicy. A small ladleful is enough.
Chicken stew (doro wat)Spoon it onto the middle of the injera, an egg for each person.
Chickpea flour stew (shiro)Smooth and thick. Spread it so every torn piece picks some up.
Fish stewKeep the pieces large so they hold together.
Lamb stewTake the meat off the bone so it can be picked up with bread.
Mild split pea stew (kik alicha)Yellow and gentle, the one to start children on.
Potato and carrot stewSoft chunks that are easy to pinch up.
Red lentil stew (misir wat)Put it beside a mild dish so people can go back and forth.
Greens, salads and meatless plates 8
Cold chickpea salad (buticha)Scoop it like a dip with a torn strip of injera.
Cold lentil salad (azifa)Sharp with mustard. Good on a meatless platter.
Collard greens (gomen)Chop them fine and set them next to the spiciest stew.
Mushroom stewA meaty mouthful for a platter with no meat on it.
Pasta with spiced tomato sauceServe it in a mound on the same platter.
Pumpkin stewSweet and soft, a rest from the hot dishes.
Stewed chardCook it down until soft and serve it warm.
Tomato salad (timatim)Dress it just before serving and spoon it on cold.
Meat and fish 4
Baked fish with berbereFlake it off the bone with a piece of injera.
Sautéed beef (tibs)Bring it sizzling and tip it onto the injera at the table.
Sautéed goat (tibs)Cut the pieces small so they sit in a fold of bread.
Sautéed lamb (tibs)Cook it with onions and peppers and serve it at once.
Cheese, eggs, spices and butter 5
Chili spice blend (berbere)A small dish of it for dipping a corner of injera.
Fresh cheese (ayibe)A cool, crumbly spoonful next to the hottest stew.
Hard-boiled eggsNestle them whole in the chicken stew.
Hot chili powder (mitmita)A pinch on the side for those who want more fire.
Spiced clarified butter (niter kibbeh)Melt a little over greens or meat just before serving.
With injera from the day before 3
Dried injera in tomato sauceLet the pieces soften in the sauce and serve it in a bowl.
Shredded injera in spiced butter (fit-fit)Tear the injera small and toss it in the warm butter and spices.
Thick injera soaked in butter and berbereLayer it, cut it into wedges and serve it warm.
After the meal 3
PopcornPut out a bowl with the coffee.
Roasted barley (kolo)A handful to nibble while the coffee brews.
Spiced fried dough bites (dabo kolo)Small and crunchy. Pass them round in a bowl.
Drinks 3
CoffeeSmall cups after the meal, with sugar on the side.
Hot teaFor anyone who passes on the coffee.
Sweet barley and oat drink (atmet)Thick, warm and sweet, in a small cup.
How it works
What to eat with injera? The sour, spongy flatbread of Ethiopia and Eritrea is plate and spoon at once. These 34 ideas run from stews, greens and salads to sautéed meat, yesterday's injera and coffee after.
Read the full guide
What injera is eaten with
The most common pairing is wat, a stew of meat or vegetables. Doro wat is made with chicken, often with a whole hard-boiled egg; misir wat with split red lentils; shiro with ground chickpeas or broad beans and no meat. In a shared meal the dishes sit on a stack of injera. Each person tears off small pieces, traditionally with the right hand, to pick up stews and salads, and the bread underneath, soaked with juices, is eaten last.
Building a platter
A platter of injera with several kinds of wat is called beyaynetu. Put one spicy stew, one mild one and something green or cold on the same bread, so each mouthful can differ.
Roll the extra injera and stand the rolls at the edge of the platter for scooping.
Set out napkins or a bowl of warm water. Everyone at the table eats with their fingers.
Questions and answers
What vegetarian dishes go with injera?
Misir wat, shiro and collard greens are the core. On Ethiopian Orthodox fast days, when believers eat no animal products, injera often comes with wat, shiro, vegetable dishes and pasta.
What meat goes with injera?
Doro wat, the chicken stew, is considered the national dish. Siga wat is a spicy beef stew. Tibs is meat sautéed with vegetables, most often beef, mutton or goat, and can be hot or mild.
What do you eat with injera for breakfast?
Fit-fit, also called fir-fir: shredded injera mixed with spiced clarified butter and berbere, often with leftover wat added. It is typically a breakfast dish in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
What do you drink with injera?
Without alcohol: coffee, which follows the meal in a coffee ceremony, often with popcorn or toasted barley. Tea is the usual offer to anyone who declines the coffee.