Cafe Lalibela

 There are many types of ethnic food that has crossed my palate.  One that I haven't tried was Ethiopian.  So we ventured off to Cafe Lalibela in Tempe at University and Hardy.  The first thing that came to mind was my own prejudice from the 1980's and the starving Ethiopian children.  So I thought, "If I eat Ethiopian food, I will come away hungry".  This was far from the truth.  They gave me so much food that I had left-overs for days.  Trying to choose one item would be very difficult, so I opted for the Lalibela combo platter.  It is recommended for three or more people, but my eyes are bigger than my stomach.  One of the things that is relly fun is that all the entrees are served with the injera bread.  Injera bread  a a crepe like sourdough bread made from a mixture of teff and wheat flour.   Unique in itself but the closest description we could come up with was a spongy pancake like bread.  The idea is to use a piece of the injera bread to scoop up or grab a bit of the desired food and pop it in your mouth.  I do recommend that you wash your hands before eating!  Our plate was first layered with a several large injera and then topped with scoops of these items:  doro wat, kye sega wat, alicha sega wat, misir wat, gomen, yebere sega tibs, fosolia, yebeg alicha sega wat, tikil gomen and yekik alicha served with ayeb and selata. 
So for those of you who can't pronounce it, don't feel alone, neither can we.  And for those of you not fluent in the language of Ethiopia this is what we figured out from the menu descriptions for each item. 
Doro wat = chicken simmered in kibae, berbere, onion and a tasty combination of seasoning. 
Kye sega wat = tender beef cubes simmered in berbere and flavored with various spices.
Alicha sega wat =  tender beef cubes simmered in kibae, onion, turmeric and various spices.
Misir wat = red split lentils cooked with onion, berbere and herbs
Gomen =  chopped collard greens cooked with garlic and onion
Yebere sega tibs = lean beef cubes pan fried with jalapeno, onion and rosemary
Fosolia =  lightly spiced string beans cooked with carrots and onion
Yebeg alicha sega wat =  lamb cubes simmered in kibae, onion, turmeric and herbs
Tikil gomen =  lightly spiced cabbage, carrots and potatoes
Yekik alica =  yellow split peas cooked with onion, turmeric and herbs
Ayeb =  homemade mild, crumbly cheese
Selata =  fresh romain lettuce, tomatoes, shreded red cabbage, and homemade dressing

These dishes are designed for family style sharing, so we found a family close by to share.  Kirk is not a novice to African food, but this would be a first for his wife Susette and daughter Kylie.  The waitress was extremely helpful and patient as we tried to understand the food set before us.

The Tenney family decided to order a smaller combo in addition to one of the meat entree choices.  The combo they chose included  a combination of doro wat, kye sega wat and alicha sega wat served with selata.  And in the middle was the yebeg alicha sega wat entree.  As noted above the yebeg consists of lamb cubes simmered in kibae, onion, turmeric and herbs.

Kirk was going on about how wonderful the lamb was.  He described how it was tender and creamy with a slight tang.  It sounded so good that I had to just reach over and take a bite.  Often when you do this to other people's meals, the expression on their face is priceless.

 

Kylie was really enjoying her meal and thought it was a neat experience in trying out different types of food.  I was extremely impressed with Susette that she actually agreed to and tried something other than chicken fingers.  It may not have been her favorite but I give her an A for effort!

Each one that I tried was extremely delicious.  But buyer beware, when they say "spicy" they do mean spicy.  So don't be caught without a large drink and some injera to help calm the spice.  This is  definitely a fun eating adventure.  So if you haven't tried Ethiopian food, try it now!