Gomen

Name: Gomen
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Ethiopian
Ingredients: 600 g collard greens or kale; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 red onion; 3 garlic cloves; 15 g fresh ginger; 2 green chillies; 150 ml water; 0.75 tsp salt; 0.25 tsp ground cardamom

Braised collard greens

Collard greens slowly braised with garlic, ginger and green chilli

Features:

Gomen is the everyday green on Ethiopian tables, cooked in homes across the highlands and always part of a fasting platter in Addis Ababa restaurants on Wednesdays and Fridays. Collard greens (or kale) are chopped fine and braised gently with onion, garlic, ginger and green chilli until they turn soft, dark and silky, without any berbere, so they cool the palate next to the red stews. On non-fasting days many cooks add a little niter kibbeh at the end; this oil version keeps it vegan. Chef's tip: cut out the thick central stalks before chopping; left in, they stay stringy long after the leaves are tender.

Total time: 35 min
Difficulty: easy
Serves: 4

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Ingredients

Serves4

1 ⅓ lb collard greens or kalestalks removed, finely chopped
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 red onionfinely chopped
3 garlic clovesfinely chopped
½ oz fresh gingergrated
2 green chilliesseeded and sliced into strips
¾ cup water
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cardamom (optional)

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Method

0/5 done

Step 1: Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add 1 ⅓ lb collard greens or kale and blanch for 3 minutes until bright green and wilted. Drain and squeeze out the excess water. A common mistake is skipping the squeeze; watery greens never turn silky.
5 min
Step 2: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat. Cook 1 red onion for 6 minutes until soft and translucent.
6 min
Step 3: Add 3 garlic cloves and ½ oz fresh ginger and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
1 min
Step 4: Add the greens, ¾ cup water and ¾ tsp salt. Cover and cook over a low heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the greens are very tender and dark. Many cooks undercook gomen; it should be soft and silky, not crunchy like a stir-fry.
14 min
Step 5: Stir in 2 green chillies and ¼ tsp ground cardamom and cook uncovered for 2 minutes until any extra liquid has gone. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 130 kcal
Protein: 4 g
Carbs: 11 g
Fat: 8 g
Fibre: 6 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does gomen take?: About 35 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?: 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegan?: Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
Is it gluten free?: Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
What can I use instead of red onion?: White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
What can I use instead of garlic cloves?: ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.

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