Teff Love: Adventures in Vegan Ethiopian Cooking Paperback – January 15, 2015

This is an early review--early because I've just received the book and want to provide my first impressions, though I haven't tried most of the recipes yet. I will update the review after cooking! (EDITED TO ADD: Now I have. See below.)Kittee Berns has written an exhaustive and updated book about Ethiopian vegan cuisine, the "fasting food" that has long been a part of Ethiopian culture. This is a gorgeous book that is well-laid-out and exudes the author's signature sense of homey style. It has tons of information without being fluffy or overwritten, features colorful and inviting pictures, and has common-sense explanations of how to execute traditionally-tricky recipes like injera--the teff-based Ethiopian sourdough that is the basis for the title of this tome. Ms. Berns has organized the book well and has tagged the recipes according to her categorization system; the reader/cook can choose from traditional Ethiopian recipes that form the basis of popular combination plates, quick-fix versions of traditional recipes, and "fusion" recipes with a twist of Ethiopian flavors, among other treats. She provides helpful information, such as how to store ingredients and finished recipes, and how long they will last in the fridge or freezer. Nutritional information is additionally provided, and the book is friendly to those with celiac or otherwise following a gluten-free diet. Every time I was about to ask a question about a recipe, I found the information I wanted in the instructions or footnotes. She demonstrates respect for Ethiopian culture and tradition while bringing her own flair to this style of cooking. "Teff Love" is clearly a labor of love, and--oh, please forgive me--Ajwain to say that I'm berbere glad shirote it.Edits and Updates (for anyone still reading after the bad puns): I don't think I ever previously cooked 6 recipes from a single cookbook in one 24-hour period, but I did so with Teff Love. I think Ethiopian cooking lends itself to a slow prep process: The first week you make your injera starter and make some of the seasoned oil and spice blends, then you start your injera, then you have on hand what you need to whip up most recipes in a snap. (Except the injera. I recommend finding it locally if you can, already made, due to the amount of time required to make the real thing.) I was worried about the spiced oil/butter recipe because it had lots of cinnamon and cloves and I don't like sweet mixed in with my savory, but the flavor of the oil is AMAZING. (I used a container of Earth Balance as the base.) I made a shiro recipe, mild lentils, mild collard greens, toasted injera, and the black-pepper blend. Everything was a winner, with complex and nuanced flavors. I did bother to seek out the specialty ingredients and it made a big difference in the authenticity of the flavors; the author helpfully provides ingredient names in Amharic and Hindi where necessary to help you locate the correct item in a specialty market. This book is a triumphant marriage of clear explanations and explosive flavor combinations. I can't wait to try more dishes!

First of all, I have never written an Amazon review before but felt compelled to share how excellent Teff Love is. This cookbook is visually very pleasing with multiple photo inserts of many of the dishes. The set up is functional with foundation recipes at the beginning. The chapters are then divided into different types of Ethiopian cuisine (Kay Wot, Alicha Wot, Shiro, Dumplings, etc) which makes it easy to plan a menu. Kittee has also included sample menus and advice / tips for parties and gatherings. I have absolutely loved everything that I have made so far. I debated about whether it would be worth it to make the foundation recipe ye'qimem zeyet (seasoned oil), but it adds amazing flavor to the dishes. The other recipes I've tried include:Dat'a (spicy green-pepper relish): Delicious. I'm going to make this all the time. I imagine it will be amazing on all sorts of grains and veggies or even as a dip.Ye'misser wot be 'timatim (red lentils in a spicy tomato sauce): Another great dish. It was spicy, savory and had a very authentic flavor.Ye'nech bakela alicha (creamy, garlicky white beans in an onion-tumeric sauce): This recipe was easy to throw together but tasted wonderful. I loved the rich garlic flavor combined with the seasoned oil.Tempeh salad: I know I will make this at least once a week. It reminds me of a combination of a savory waldorf salad and chicken salad. The apples, celery, and tempeh with a spicy sauce are genius. This is going to be a sack lunch staple for me.There are dozens more recipes that I cannot wait to try. You can tell that the author is very passionate and spent a great deal of time to make this cookbook perfect. I really appreciated her writing in depth about the different spices and which ones are optional versus essential for the flavor profile of the dish. I made one trip to a local Ethiopian market and now have all the basics to cook my way through this book.One final note - I have never met or had contact with this author prior to the cookbook release. I emailed her when I received my copy and asked her about the best place to find the specialized ingredients (we both live in Portland). She immediately contacted me with very thoughtful recommendations and even offered to meet me at the market to show me around. How awesome is Kittee?! I have several hundred vegan and non-vegan cookbooks, and Teff Love is in my top few. Highly recommended.