Ethiopian Lentil & Mustard Salad (Azefa)

As long as the heat wave in southwestern Ontario keeps going, the culinary themes in Lisa's Kitchen will continue to be: simple, simple and simple! For this reason, I decided to make an azefa, a classic Ethiopian lentil and mustard seed salad that not only fits the bill for being simple but has an astonishing blend of earthy and pungent flavours that will strike anyone's attention, not to mention help them sweat out the heat. Unlike pre-prepared mustards whose flavour is diluted by time and packaging, fresh ground mustard seeds mixed with a little boiling water gives the spicy mustard dressing in azefa a fresh and powerful kick.

I've adapted my azefa from one given in Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian, which has been for years now an indispensable resource to me for fast, simple, exotic and delicious vegetarian recipes. I substituted fresh jalapeño peppers from my garden for the 1/2 green bell pepper that she suggests and, of course, by ratcheting up the cayenne a little. If you want to tone down the heat, I'd recommend reducing the cayenne to a 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon instead of sacrificing the hot peppers, which I've found to be an essential part of this and other azefa recipes. Similarly, the addition of a pint of grape tomatoes or one large diced tomato will help mellow the palate's reaction to the hot mustard dressing. One small chopped onion may be added as well.

Ethiopian lentil & mustard salad (Azefa)

1 cup green lentils
2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
juice of 2 lemons
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 large jalapeño peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch long matchsticks

Wash the lentils and put into a medium saucepan with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down the heat to low and cover, cooking gently for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Drain and set aside to let cool.

Add the mustard seeds, peppercorns, salt and cayenne into a clean coffee or spice grinder and grind finely. Put into a small bowl and mix well with 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Now add the lemon juice and olive oil and stir in well.

Pour the jalapeño peppers and dressing over the lentils and toss thoroughly. Serve warm or chilled. Serves 4 to 6.