Atkilt wat

Atkilt wat is an Ethiopian vegetable stew of cabbage, carrot and potato simmered in spiced oil until soft. It is one of the standard dishes served during the fasting periods of the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar.

What it really is

Atkilt wat is built on cabbage, carrot and potato, cut into pieces and cooked together with onion, garlic and ginger. The vegetables are first softened in oil with the aromatics, then coloured and flavoured with turmeric, and simmered with a little water until the vegetables are tender and most of the liquid has reduced. Salt and sometimes a pinch of berbere are added, though the classic version is mild. Some cooks add green pepper or green beans.

It differs from misir wat and other lentil or chickpea wats in having no pulses at all, and it is not a meat dish, so it is cooked without butter or meat stock. Its colour comes from turmeric rather than the red chilli-based spice mixture used in many other Ethiopian stews.

How it's served

• Served warm or at room temperature on a large round of injera, with more injera on the side for scooping.
• Usually part of a shared platter alongside other wats and vegetable dishes such as gomen or misir wat.
• Eaten with the right hand, tearing off pieces of injera to gather the vegetables.
• Common on fasting days, when it appears in place of meat and dairy dishes.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the vegetables on the menu: cabbage, carrot and potato, cooked in oil with onion, garlic and ginger, with turmeric.
• State that the dish is vegan and contains no meat, dairy or eggs; it is cooked in oil only.
• Mention that it is served on injera, which is made from teff and is gluten-free but not wheat-free by default in shared kitchens.
• Note the spice level, since the classic version is mild and some kitchens add berbere or green chilli.