Azifa Soup
Description
Azifa Soup - Authentic recipe from Ethiopia. Ready in 35 min. Try it now!
Directions
✓ researched- 1
Cook 200 g green lentils until tender, drain. Have 500 ml water or broth ready.
⏱️ approx. 12 min💡 Tip: Azifa (served here as a soup) is an Ethiopian green lentil 'salad'/purée — green lentils with mustard, lemon, onions, and green chili. Tangy and spiced, served cold or as a soup, vegan. Especially popular during fasting season.
- 2
Add 1 tbsp mustard (gives the characteristic sharp note) and the juice of 1 lemon. Stir in onions, green chili, and oil.
⏱️ approx. 12 min💡 Tip: Azifa is defined by the mustard and lemon (tangy-sharp). The green lentils keep their shape (not puréed like Misir Wat). Classically served cold as a salad/dip; here as a soup with more liquid. Vegan.
- 3
As a soup: bring to the desired consistency with water or broth and heat through (or leave cold as a salad). Season with salt. Garnish with onions and chili.
⏱️ approx. 12 min💡 Tip: Azifa is classically served cold as a salad/dip (with injera) or as a soup — the tangy-sharp green lentils with mustard and lemon. Vegan, refreshing. Especially popular during fasting season.
📜 Origin & History
Azifa (አዚፋ) is traditionally a cold lentil salad in Ethiopian cuisine: green lentils (Lens culinaris) are cooked and prepared with injera crumbles, onions, green chilis (Mitmita), mustard, lemon juice and Ethiopian mustard oil (Nug oil from nug seeds, Guizotia abyssinica). 'Azifa Soup' refers to a more liquid version, where the lentils are served as a warm soup in a broth made from water, onions and spices (cumin, coriander). Lentils are one of the most important fasting-day dishes in Ethiopia; on over 200 fasting days of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, legumes (lentils, chickpeas, peas) are eaten instead of meat. Nug (Guizotia abyssinica, Black Sesame or Ramtilla) is cultivated in Ethiopia and India and produces a nutty, cold-pressed cooking oil. Azifa is a standard dish in Ethiopian restaurants in Addis Ababa and in the Ethiopian diaspora (Washington D.C., Frankfurt, London).
🌿 Regional variants
As a salad
Cold and thick as a salad/dip.
With more chili
With green chili — spicier.
🍷 What goes with it?
Cold as a salad or warm as a soup. With injera. During fasting season. Tangy and sharp.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Azifa?
Azifa is an Ethiopian green lentil salad/dip — cooked green lentils with mustard, lemon, onions, green chili, and oil. Tangy and sharp, classically served cold. Vegan, especially popular during fasting season.
What makes Azifa special?
The mustard and lemon give Azifa its characteristic tangy-sharp flavour (unlike most Ethiopian dishes with berbere). Refreshing and unusual. Served cold or warm.
Cold or warm?
Classically cold as a salad/dip (with injera). Here as a soup (warm, with more liquid). Both vegan and tangy-spiced. Popular during fasting season as a protein-rich dish.
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Ingredients
verified- green lentils200 g
- Lemon1 pcs
- Mustard1 tbsp
- Water500 ml
