Ecuadorian Menestra is the national dish of Equador. This is a vegetarian/vegan version.
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| Ayngelina of Bacon is Magic |
I am so pleased to present a guest post by one of my favorite bloggers, Ayngelina of Bacon is Magic.
Ayngelina left her job, boyfriend, apartment and friends to explore Latin America solo, to figure out what her life is all about. What I love most about Bacon is Magic is Ayngelina’s down to earth, honest, tell it like it is voice. I feel like I am sitting across the table from her at one of the cafes she’s visiting when I read her posts, and can imagine myself climbing Waynapicchu with her. I love living vicariously through Ayngelina’s traveling adventures, and I especially admire her courage and guts to leave everything behind to do what she loves while trying to figure out what her life is all about. In today’s guest post, Ayngelina shares a recipe for Ecuadorian Menestra, one of the many foods she has been able to taste along her journey.
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Ecuadorian Menestra
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| Ecuadorian Menestra (photo courtesy of Bacon Is Magic) |
I have been traveling through Latin America for ten months and had my share of local food. Some of it has been amazing and some I’ve been happy to leave.
While Ecuador is a haven for pork lovers, the region has quite a few vegetarian options. It isn’t because there are a lot of vegetarians in Ecuador, there aren’t, but because Ecuadorians love good food and some of the most well known Ecuadorian dishes do not contain meat.
If you visit this country of amazing people and spectacular scenery the one thing you will find everywhere is the national dish –Â menestra. Although it is from the province of Manabi it can be found in all regions. Most often made with lentils, you may also see it with chickpeas or red beans.
You will only find it made from scratch but it often accompanies meat, rice and fried plantain. For vegetarians, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask for it with an egg instead and vegans will find that Ecuadorians have no problem serving it without meat or egg and instead give you a bit of extra menestra and rice.
The dish is also incredibly easy to make at home with this traditional recipe.
Ecuadorian Menestra
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 pepper diced
- 3 medium tomatoes diced
- 7 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
- 7 cups water
- 1 pound lentils rinsed and drained
Instructions
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In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.
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Make a refrito by adding onion, pepper, tomato, garlic, cumin, salt, and half the cilantro. Cook until all ingredients have softened, about 3-4 minutes.
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ring heat to high and add the water, bringing to a boil. Add lentils and reduce heat to low, cover partially and cook until the lentils are tender.
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Remove from heat and add remaining cilantro as a garnish.
Recipe Notes
If you like things spicy you may want to add a bit of cayenne pepper to the dish along with the cumin. However, in Ecuador aji (hot sauce) is served at the table as a condiment so Ecuadorians can each add spice to their own liking.
Sounds really delicious and simple. Yummy!
Thanks so much for featuring me Jeanette, this is definitely one of my favourite recipes and so easy to make!
Hi Ayngelina. By the way, great name! Thanks for sharing this vegetarian post. I think you're right that it is too easy to equate Latin America to more meat-oriented dishes. This recipe looks so good! Looking forward to checking out your site.
Ayngelina, thank you so much for this guest post and providing a wonderfully healthy Latin American dish from your travels. I always enjoy reading your posts and following you in your adventures! I feel like I'm right there following you around.
Marly, that's what caught my eye when I first spotted this bowl of Menestra on Bacon is Magic – a healthy vegetarian dish!
Rochelle, this recipe is super simple and it's pure comfort food. I love learning about foods around the world (and eating them!). The best thing is that you can experience ethnic foods from your own kitchen with recipes like Ayngelina's.
Sounds delicious!! I was wondering what to make for supper tonight, now I know 😉 Cheers!!
Hi Peter, thanks for stopping by, yes this would make a great meatless dish or side dish for dinner!
Finally some food for me Ayngelina! Thanks for sharing. I am going to attempt to make this one, sounds delicious.
Mmmm love it. You should put up recipes more often!
I agree, love to see recipes for foods from all around the world, they make the food and the traveling come alive!
This is something to try, thanks for the share Jeanette 🙂