Ethiopian Collard Greens
Ethiopian Collard Greens aka Ye’abasha Gomen- Braised collard greens and kale seasoned with aromatics. Quick, easy, and tasty.
A couple of years back, I loathed any green that wasn’t remotely close to spinach. Kale, collard greens were on that list (I don’t know why).
But after some time, I gradually, consciously started playing around with more greens. I couldn’t just turn my back on these greens especially when their nutritional benefits are staggering. And of course, with age comes wisdom and we all start thinking about our health.
If you are looking for an easy, flavorful, and downright addictive way of trying out collard greens or kale then you are in luck. I have tried both greens using this method and they both work great.
If you are more focused on the nutritional content then be aware that collard greens are right up there with kale. They both provide an excellent source of vitamins A, C, K calcium and are equally tasty! Some side-by-side comparisons even give collard greens a slight edge-something to think about when you are in the supermarket.
This Ethiopian Braised Greens is fairly easy dish to make both in terms of preparation and the time it takes to make it. Especially when you have all your pantry ingredients ready to go. What sets these greens apart from the rest are the spice mix and Ethiopian Spiced butter. It makes it more enticing and flavorful.
Cooking greens is a matter of personal preference, some like to cook it to death but not me, 7-10 minutes does it for me.
Don’t let me rain on your parade – cook to your hearts desire. And for a Complete Ethiopian meal, serve it with this Ethiopian Spiced lentil stew
Injera/Angero and or this Doro Wat Ethiopian chicken Stew Enjoy!!!
Ye'abesha Gomen (Ethiopian Collard Greens)
Ingredients
- 10 ounce Collard Greens/Kale chopped
- 3 or more tablespoons Niter Ethiopian Spiced Butter or cooking oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 large white onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon smoke paprika
- ½ teaspoon cardamom spice
- 1 teaspoon coriander/Cumin
- 1-2 Fresh Chili pepper or ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or more
- 1 fresh lemon
Instructions
- In a large skillet, add oil, spiced butter, garlic, ginger, chili pepper, cumin, cardamom, paprika, sauté for about 30 seconds or more, be careful not to let the ingredients burn.
- Then add onions, mix with the spices. Sauté for about 3-5
- Throw in chopped collards, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, Continue cooking for another 7-10 minutes until flavors have blend and greens are cooked, according to preference. Adjust seasonings –Salt and pepper, turn off the heat.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool. SERVE WITH DORO WAT
Nutrition Information:
Can frozen collards be used if fresh isn’t an option?
Hi Nadeau. Yes, you can.
This was AMAZING. Best collard greens I’ve ever had.
Oh great to hear that. Thank you so much!
It was tasty and I plan to make it again, with less ginger and lemon. I substituted gram masal because I had no cardamom (next time not) and Smart Balance margarine rather than the suggested butter. This is a healthier alternative to traditional southern collards.
To make it taste right, you need to use the ethiopian spiced butter, which is clarified butter with spices. If you use normal butter, it will not be the same.
If using something like ghee, consider using about 1 teaspoon of berbere with 1 tablespoon of ghee.
So tasty. I added bits of cooked beef strip steak. Yummy.
Hi Ida! That was awesome! I’d like to try that too! 🙂
I ate lunch at an Ethiopian cafe, Merkaba in Ballarat Victoria the other day. I was so impressed that I photographed the menu so that I could research the food recipes. Your recipe is perfect and tasted very close to the Merkaba one. We ate it very quickly and now must make another batch soon, Thank you so much!
Wow! Thank you for sharing, Lucille 🙂
I made Gomen last night for the first time and I loved it. I’ll be using this recipe regularly. Next I’m making Ethiopian Lentil stew tonight, I’ll give you my feedback. I’m really looking forward to eating the gomen and the lentils together with the Injera I bought.
Thank you.
I made this tonight after making my own spiced butter yesterday. It was pretty close to the gomen wat I’ve had before though I think the smoked paprika was too overpowering. If I make it again, I will just do a sprinkle or two. I also used a quarter lemon and could’ve used more I think. Without the spiced butter, I don’t think this would’ve been very good, so make sure you buy or make your own (it’s pretty easy!).
I loved these Ethiopian collard greens! Thank you.
Hi! I’m confused about the cumin/coriander – which one? Or both? They are very different!
Cumin or coriander would work just fine here.
Yes! This recipe is the truth. I have used this recipe twice already and it tasted just like restaurant quality both timesArban Philadelphia and the nearest Ethiopian restaurant is about 1 hr away. Now I can have this dish whenever I want. Yay!
Tip: Add the ginger at the end using garlic press after all of the other ingredients have cooked.
Yaaay! Glad you can now easily enjoy this whenever you want. And thank you for sharing that tip, Jennifer.
Just made this and it is amazing!!! I almost ate the whole bowl myself in one sitting!! Yummy!!!
Thank you for sharing the receipe!
My pleasure! So happy to hear you enjoyed it Jessica. It’s really flavorful.
Hi. What do you think about substituting berbere for the cayenne? Or paprika? I’d think the cayane si a closer match. Thank you for the recipe and any thoughts.
Hi Joe, I would add both. Cayenne adds some heat to it while the paprika adds flavor . If you can find it use smoked paprika
DO you use the juice of the whole lemon?
I don’t . Adjust to taste buds.
I just made this recipe for the first time today and let me say, it was DIVINE! It was gone so fast I will have to make it again soon. I am so grateful to find this recipe and will definitely be making it again! Thank you so much for sharing such an incredible recipe! 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that Elise! Thanks for taking time out to let me know. 🙂 It’s definitely a favorite around here.
I add some turmeric to mine, also. It’s healthy and gives the dish a beautiful glow.
Great addition! Thanks for sharing.