Every summer when school was out, Mahalet Tesfaye’s mother would switch her classroom to the kitchen. Her assignments were rooted in her native Ethiopian food, which relies on a tradition of vegetables and spicy meat dishes.
“It started when I was in fifth grade,” Tesfaye (tes-fie) said. “That’s when I got my first assignment.”
Her first success was “atakilt wot,” a dish of carrots, onions and cabbage simmered with ginger. Each year, the lessons became more difficult until she mastered the techniques.
With just five tables, Tesfaye serves traditional dishes like the spicy minced beef meat tartare called kitfo; a chicken stew called doro wot; a meat stirfy called beef siga tibs; numerous vegetarian dishes; and of course, injera, a spongy bread that is a specialty of the country.
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