Atakilt Wat – Ethiopian Cabbage Potato Carrots. Easy spiced side full of amazing flavor. free of Dairy, egg, corn, soy, yeast, nut, gluten, grain.
Seattle has an abundance of Ethiopian food. After Indian, Ethiopian is always the next choice when we want some spice and deep flavors in the meal. The veggie platter filled with 2 to 4 different simmered lentil dishes, greens, simmered okra, cabbage pcarrot wat, all served up over the huge Injera. There are several Ethiopian restaurants in Seattle. A lot of them however are usually a miss when it comes to maintaining the taste and quality of the food. Or maybe I am picky 🙂 Seattle-lites, what is your favorite Ethiopian restaurant?
Atakilt Wat/ Atkilt wot is a cabbage side that is so close to the Indian cabbage dishes and yet has its own flavor profile. The traditional recipe may or may note use uses niter kibeh which is butter/ghee slow-infused with whole spices like cardamom, cinnamon, fenugreek, cloves, ginger, garlic etc. by cooking everything on low heat for hours. You can make niter qibe/ kibeh with coconut or olive oil(see my second book for a recipe) and use about a Tbsp in this recipe instead of all the spices and oil. Since I don’t usually have the infused oil ready, I add the spices to oil in the second step to infuse the oil while cooking (indian food style) for my interpretation of atakilt wat. You can omit the spices. Cook the dish at lower heat for best results. Serve with Ethiopian flat breads or other flat breads and lentil stews.
More Ethiopian from the blog.
Steps:
cook the onion, garlic, ginger for 5 minutes.
Add all the spices and cook to infuse the oil to make a quick niter kibeh.
Add the veggies, cover and cook until tender.
Serve hot.
Video:
Atakilt Wat - Ethiopian Cabbage Potato Carrots. Vegan Gluten-free Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil or vegan butter divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 green chili chopped (optional)
- 1/2 cup (80 g) chopped onion
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) cumin powder
- 1/2 to 3/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) fenugreek seeds or powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) cardamom powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) cinnamon powder
- 1/8 tsp (0.13 tsp) cloves powder
- a generous dash of black pepper
- 3/4 cup (96 g) sliced carrots
- 2 medium potatoes chopped, 1.5 loaded cups
- 1/2 (0.5 ) head of cabbage finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
Instructions
- In a large skillet, add 1 tsp oil and heat at medium-low. Once hot, Add garlic, ginger, chili, and onion. Mix, cook for 4 minutes.
- Add the cumin, turmeric, fenugreek seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper. Mix and cook for 3 minutes to infuse the oil and to continue cooking the onion to golden.
- Add the carrots, potato and mix well. Add cabbage and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix well, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir once in between.
- Add 1/4 tsp or more salt, and 1 tsp olive oil. Mix in. Deglaze at this time with water if needed Cover and Cook for another 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. *
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Anonymous says
July 7, 2014 at 7:49 pmWe’ve tried several Ethiopian restaurants in Seattle. Our favorite is Adey Abeba (http://adeyabeba.net/). It’s family run, they are very friendly and the food is excellent. The restaurant is not fancy, but it’s kid friendly and not crowded. They were very accommodating when we did an large family adoption celebration last year (two of our grandsons were adopted from Ethiopia a few years ago) about arranging the tables for a large group and accommodating our different preferences and the kids need to move around. And the food is the best Ethiopian we’ve had in Seattle. The vegetarian plate is terrific (even my non-vegan family members like it).
JanneS says
July 21, 2014 at 11:06 pmWhere is it? We looked for an Ethiopian restaurant there last summer (had found one the prior summer but it was no longer there). We LOVE Ethiopian food.
Anonymous says
July 7, 2014 at 10:21 pmMmm, looks tasty! =P
Anonymous says
July 7, 2014 at 11:12 pmI like Enat Ethiopian and Cafe Jebena. I haven’t tried Adey Abeba yet though. I’ll have to add it to my list! Thanks for making Ethiopian food look easy! It’s one of my favorites, but I have yet to attempt it at home. I’ll try this one!
anonymous says
March 17, 2015 at 12:43 amEnat is absolutely the best Ethiopian restaurant in Seattle. They will also accommodate gluten free requests for bread, provided, of course, you give 24-hours notice prior to picking up your food. Enat doesn’t do that strange salad thing I’ve seen at other Ethiopian places. I’ve never been to Ethiopian, but, I’m guessing the salad is a hybrid American addition rather than being part of the traditional fare offered. That being said, I like that Enat skips the out-of-place green salad with Italian dressing. I’m a dedicated vegetarian and Enat always cooks great food. One veggie combo to go will feed two (I always have leftovers if I’m not sharing.) Service at Enat is warm and friendly and usually quick when ordered in person at the bar, unless there’s a football game on, in which case they’re usually very busy. You might wait a bit longer than usual, but, it’s still worth the wait. Enat is THE ONLY place I go to for Ethiopian food.
Food says
July 8, 2014 at 5:34 amThe restaurant is not fancy, but it’s kid friendly and not crowded. They were very accommodating when we did an large family adoption celebration last year (two of our grandsons were adopted from Ethiopia a few years ago) about arranging the tables for a large group and accommodating our different preferences and the kids need to move around.Thanks for sharing
Anonymous says
July 8, 2014 at 10:32 amI love your recipes and have tried several. I was wondering, I have problems finding Fenugreek spice in Canada. Would you be able to recommend what type of ethnic grocery might sell it? Keep the recipes coming, please.
Richa says
July 19, 2014 at 2:54 amyou can order it online. or find it in indian stores.
Denise says
February 15, 2015 at 7:06 amI buy my fenugreek seeds at Bulk Barn in Canada.
Cadry's Kitchen says
July 8, 2014 at 12:02 pmThis sounds so delicious! I have half a head of cabbage right now in the refrigerator, and this would be the perfect use for it. Thanks, Richa!
Rani Vijoo says
July 8, 2014 at 2:36 pmhmmmm……yummy dish…looks delicious!
Anonymous says
July 9, 2014 at 3:23 pmQueen Sheba
The Vegan 8 says
July 11, 2014 at 3:50 amThat looks so delicious and I bet so aromatic! You have put 3 of my favorite ingredients in this dish…potatoes, carrots and ginger!
[email protected] says
July 11, 2014 at 1:48 pmI love Ethiopian food, but haven’t made it at home… and of course you make it look so easy and delicious!
Victor Stanciu says
July 14, 2014 at 10:34 amThis recipe is a very good source of Vitamin C (thanks to the cabbage and potatoes), and a good source of fibers and Vitamin A.
Here is the nutrition facts label for this recipe: https://i.imgur.com/OdWZkDk.png.
Also, you can easily create your own nutrition facts labels (and even embed them on your website) on Newtrien.com 🙂
JanneS says
July 21, 2014 at 11:07 pmJust prepared this for supper. It IS DELICIOUS!! Used vegetables from my CSA. Also sauteed some tempeh to add on the side. Definitely a keeper!! Another winner from you!!
Corrin Radd says
August 21, 2014 at 1:39 amMade this tonight. Yum!
Amélie says
September 1, 2014 at 1:20 amThis recipe is simply amazing. The blend of spices is just perfect, so much flavour, so comforting. I try many vegan recipes every week and this one has been the best in a long time. I’m totally hooked. Thank you for sharing it.
Shelley says
October 4, 2014 at 7:49 pmTried this a while back and it was SO good. My first Ethiopian dish that I’ve made! I served it over rice with sriracha and Thai basil, which probably goes against all food codes, but it was seriously amazing. I’d love to serve it with cilantro next time. I will definitely be making this when it gets colder too!
Troy Janisch says
December 3, 2014 at 7:40 pmI had a serving of Ethiopian cabbage at the local co-op and was hooked. I started looking for recipes and found yours to be the closest to the palate I was seeking. I wasn’t disappointed. Love the addition of Fenugreek seed.
Neel says
February 4, 2015 at 12:42 pmHi! Can we use red cabbage instead of green?
Genie Charvet says
March 21, 2015 at 10:39 amWe’ve tried several, but Adey Abeba has the best food, prices are very reasonable, it’s not crowded and very kid friendly. They also accommodate large groups very well.
Barb says
March 21, 2015 at 7:51 pmI knew this would be good when I smelled the fragrant spices sautéed in my pan. I just did not know HOW good it would be!! How could something so healthy taste so great!!!!! I love it!!!! I made a huge triple batch so I could eat some now and also freeze containers full for future meals!
Thank you for this!!!!!!
Richa says
March 21, 2015 at 8:35 pmyay! so glad you loved it!!
[email protected] says
March 22, 2015 at 4:55 amIt’s so funny I came across this recipe on FB today. I love your website and have bookmarked so many of your recipes. I have many of my own recipes for atakilt wat and other Ethiopian recipes since I LOVE Ethiopian food. What made me laugh (when I saw this) is that I have plans to get lunch from our favorite Ethiopian place today (Queen of Sheeba in Tampa) and this is one of the dishes I will be ordering (they actually call it tikil gomen, but it is basically the same thing) – as well as ye misr wot, ye kik alecha, and keiy sire.
I’m definitely going to give your recipe a try. I LOVE this! So yummy!!! Thank you for always providing so many delicious recipes! 🙂
Leela Obilichetti says
March 24, 2015 at 11:54 amDo you think Napa Cabbage would be ok for this? That’s what I have in the fridge right now.
Also, is there a “print recipe only” type of button that I missed? If not, could you add one? I love your recipes!
Richa says
March 24, 2015 at 11:59 amNapa cabbage might work. Cut it larger and cook for less time as it might shrink a lot.
There is a print button on the recent recipes and i keep adding it to the older pages. I will add it to this recipe now. You should see it in a few minutes.
Amele says
January 11, 2019 at 9:59 amThis recipe is not authentic Ethiopian at all, but it seems like an interesting twist on alicha! Good job. Also cooking with extra virgin olive oil might not be a good choice, it burns easily an changes the taste of the dish. A more neutral flavor oil might work better.
Bianca says
October 25, 2015 at 3:22 pmWhat a fantastic recipe! I prepared this dish for the first time the other day and enjoyed every bite. Thank you for posting.
Richa says
October 25, 2015 at 6:55 pmAwesome!!
Lauren says
October 28, 2015 at 2:38 pmI always enjoy your recipes. The amount of flavor is always surprising. It’s also really nice that you use actual measurements –like 1 cup — instead of saying 1 potato!! This recipe is packed with flavor and I love that it is nutritious and even better: inexpensive!
Richa says
October 28, 2015 at 3:18 pmAwesome! Thank you Lauren!
Mary V says
October 28, 2015 at 6:47 pmI’m making this right now. You had me at cardamom! I definitely believe there are not enough recipes with cardamom 🙂 The kitchen smells wonderful and the taste I swiped from the pan was YUMMMY! Thanks for sharing it.
Richa says
October 28, 2015 at 7:10 pmyay!
Amy says
November 8, 2015 at 5:45 amThis is one of my favorite recipes! I use fresh toasted and ground cumin and cardamom seeds
Richa says
November 8, 2015 at 10:54 amAwesome!!
Brendan says
December 26, 2015 at 4:48 pmJust made this dish. Absolutely delicious. Mine was more carmelized than yours looks in the pics. Today, I went to an Ethiopian supermarket and bought berbere and their pepper spice mixture, as well as a bag of the large oval injeras. Earlier in the day, I made the spicy red lentils in Kittee Berns’s book “Teff Love”, which I heard about via your site. I put together my version of a veggie plate: on the injera went a large helping of the Atakilt Wat, some of the lentils, a green salad, and some sauteed red chard (an Italian recipe). All of this would have been amazing, except I had already eaten an early dinner. This was dinner #2. So, I’m really looking forward to leftovers tomorrow, and the next day, and…. 😉 Brendan In Toronto
Richa says
December 26, 2015 at 6:02 pmAwesome! that sounds like a fabulous dinner.
Rasheda says
February 8, 2016 at 9:21 pmThis recipe is incredibly delicious. Thank you so much for sharing.
Richa says
February 8, 2016 at 10:04 pmThanks!
Rachael says
February 22, 2016 at 3:58 pmWow!! What an incredible combination of flavors! I’ve never made an Ethiopian dish. I just made yours and it came out fantastic. I can’t stop eating it. Thank you for the recipe. Now I want to check out your other recipes!
Richa says
February 22, 2016 at 4:02 pmAwesome! thanks!
Melissa says
February 25, 2016 at 8:21 amI’m a little confused on how to cook these vegetables without any liquid. @ 2 teaspoons of oil or butter doesn’t seem to be enough to last long enough to cook them until tender. Am I missing some other form of liquid?
Richa says
February 25, 2016 at 10:33 amHi Melissa, the veggies get cooked in their own moisture. they are covered and cooked, so the moisture stays in. Check halfway through, If they start to stick, add a couple of splashes of water, mix in and continue to cook.
W Rogers says
March 6, 2016 at 11:55 amI had to add some broth
erin says
March 21, 2017 at 5:23 pmWe were hosting social hour at church and making corned beef and cabbage. I found your recipe and prepared a triple batch as a vegan option. Suffice to say it ran out first and people were begging for the recipe! I’m making it again tonight so I’ll get to have more than a taste. Delightful dish, and I can’t wait to try it with cauliflower and green beans!
Richa says
March 21, 2017 at 6:51 pmSo fun! Glad everyone loved it!
Mary says
July 6, 2017 at 6:42 pmCarrots, cabbage, and potatoes, one of my favorite combinations. I can’t wait to make this.
Ellen says
August 7, 2017 at 8:14 amCan I use sweet potatos or is it better with white?
Richa says
August 7, 2017 at 10:43 pmits better with white potatoes but sweet potatoes should work too
AV says
August 9, 2017 at 4:29 amI tried this and liked it. I’m always looking for good ways to consume cabbage. Here was my attempt: https://tmifood.wordpress.com/2017/08/07/atakilt-wat/
Marie-Claude says
January 5, 2018 at 3:45 pmI did this recipe 2 times and this will not be the last. This is so good ! So much flavor !
Thanks 🙂
Richa says
January 5, 2018 at 5:34 pmawesome!
Ida says
August 16, 2018 at 5:25 pmI’m wondering how you manage to keep your recipes so ‘spot on’? Absolutely and entirely phenomenal! I added diced tomatoes and zucchini but otherwise no changes to your recipe. A sure WINNER! Thanks for your work and always yummy recipes !
Richa says
August 16, 2018 at 6:37 pmyou are too kind 🙂 i am glad all the recipes work out so well!
Ebbi says
January 2, 2019 at 3:56 pmJust curious: did Ethiopians contribute to this recipe? I’m not trying to be rude, I just want to know how authentic it is.
Richa says
January 2, 2019 at 6:04 pmyes in a way. My ethiopian neighbor told me her general recipe long ago. She uses spiced oil. i looked up the spiced oil recipe from an ethiopian cookbook and used some of those spices(spices that are used in the spiced oil/butter) directly in the recipe instead. So its an adapted or inspired version.
Linda says
May 22, 2019 at 3:02 pmWow! Thank you for the amazing recipe.
This is truly one of the best things I have ever eaten! I was trying to use up some cabbage and carrot remnants from my fridge and found your page. I had red carrots and half red cabbage/ half regular.
Had no cardamom or ginger. Used almost no oil and only a pinch of salt. STILL INCREDIBLE.
Looked so pretty with the red ingredients and everything yellow from turmeric. I will be tripling the recipe within the next couple days, and checking out your other recipes. Thanks again!
Richa says
May 22, 2019 at 7:15 pmawesome!
Margaret F says
July 20, 2019 at 11:58 pmI love this simple dish. Especially with cabbage from my garden. Wonderful. I used half the oil. Definitely making it again and again and again.
Richa says
July 21, 2019 at 10:19 amawesome!
Joe Pearce says
July 22, 2019 at 3:45 amDecent, but not great.
Richa says
July 22, 2019 at 10:47 amMaybe add more of the spices. The age of the spices and amount of the cabbage used affects the flavor payoff
Michelle says
October 12, 2019 at 5:55 amSO so delicious and easy to make! Thank you for this healthy, inexpensive and delicious recipe.
Richa says
October 12, 2019 at 1:26 pmthanks!
Dee Dennis says
November 18, 2019 at 7:03 amI made this last night and only changed a bit as I added tempeh that needed to be used and 1 jalapeno for a little heat.
It is truly delicious! I will make again for my vegan Friendsgiving next weekend.
Tim says
November 24, 2019 at 1:01 pmI am not a fan of cooked cabbage, but definitely a huge fan of this recipe. Love to eat it, and it goes well with injera or as s side dish.
Richa says
November 24, 2019 at 4:36 pmawesome!
Terry McLaury says
December 10, 2019 at 5:21 pmDelicious on every level! I’m a big Ethiopian cuisine fan and served This with collards (Gomen). So delicious!
Jessica says
January 28, 2020 at 2:02 pmI’m going to give this a shot without oil. Any tips?
Richa says
January 28, 2020 at 6:11 pmjust use broth and deglaze in between
Jessica Shepherd says
January 29, 2020 at 12:39 pmI tried that, and it didn’t really work out. It didn’t burn but seemed very dry and just seemed like something was missing. This may just not be a recipe that works well without oil.
Richa says
January 29, 2020 at 2:45 pmYou have to keep adding water or broth in between and also use a tight fitting lid, so the moisture stays in. Also double up on th spices as spices tend to bloom better and faster in the oil.
Jessica Shepherd says
February 3, 2020 at 8:20 amI did keep adding broth, and it did not stick so that worked fine. Also, I used a tight-fitting lid. Still, it was dry, even though it didn’t burn. I would not have wanted to double the spices, however, because it was very spicy, almost too spicy, just using the amount specified. I really think this was just a lack of fat problem that made it less than satisfying. Some recipes work by adding some other form of fat like a nut butter or tahini, or by adding some umami like miso, but I just wasn’t sure what would work here. I ended up putting some soy sauce on it, which helped with the dryness and added a bit of umami, but it still wasn’t quite right. Ultimately, I ended up adding the leftovers to some coconut red lentil dal, and that was quite tasty!
Sandy Mills says
March 1, 2020 at 2:48 pmI love Ethiopian stews and this did not disappoint. It is excellent.