A bright, mild mix of potatoes, carrots, and green beans gently stewed with garlic, ginger, and turmeric until just tender. Free of chili and meat, it is one of the fresh, golden dishes that makes up a fasting platter. Its clean, gingery warmth is a cooling counterpoint to fiery wats.
Yataklete kilkil belongs to the great repertoire of ye'tsom, the fasting foods of the Ethiopian Orthodox tradition, eaten through the many meatless days of the church year. Simple and nourishing, it showcases the highland abundance of root vegetables and the gentle, turmeric-forward alicha style of cooking without berbere.
Fresh, light, and gently warming, with sweet carrots and creamy potatoes carrying the perfume of ginger and garlic. The turmeric lends earthy color without heat, and the green beans keep a little bite. Soothing and clean against richer, spicier dishes.
Staggering the vegetables by cooking time ensures each reaches tenderness together without the beans overcooking. Sauteing the aromatics in oil first blooms the turmeric's color and the garlic-ginger flavor, which then perfumes the gently steamed vegetables.
Variations
With added cabbage or peas, version with a little berbere for mild heat, finished with niter kibbeh (non-fasting), cooked with potatoes only
On the Palate
Where Yataklete Kilkil sits in the Ethiopian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 5
How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 18 min
Cut potatoes, carrots, and green beans into even, bite-sized pieces.
- 24 min
Warm oil in a pot and gently saute sliced onion until soft.
- 32 min
Stir in minced garlic, grated ginger, and turmeric until fragrant.
Watch outCook the turmeric, garlic and ginger in the oil until the color deepens and the smell turns fragrant — that bloomed oil is what perfumes everything after.
- 42 min
Add the carrots and potatoes first as they take longest to cook.
Watch outStart the carrots and potatoes first — they're the slowest, so they need the head start to finish with the rest.
- 56 min
Pour in a little water, cover, and simmer until partly tender.
- 64 min
Add the green beans and continue cooking until all vegetables are just done.
Watch outAdd the green beans late and stop while they're still bright and just tender — mushy grey beans mean you cooked them too long.
- 72 min
Season with salt and a touch of green chili if desired.
- 82 min
Serve warm as part of a vegetable platter with injera.
