Ethiopia | Stew

Kik Alicha

Mild Ethiopian yellow split pea stew with turmeric, onion, garlic, ginger, and a soft buttery texture.

Country
Ethiopia
Region
East Africa
Time
70 min
Serves
6
Level
easy
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Recipe overview

What to know before you cook

Kik alicha is the gentle side of the Ethiopian platter: yellow split peas cooked until creamy with turmeric, onion, garlic, and ginger. It balances hotter stews beautifully.

What the dish tastes like

Mild Ethiopian yellow split pea stew with turmeric, onion, garlic, ginger, and a soft buttery texture.

When to cook it

Best for vegetarian platters, fasting meals, and mild family meals.. Plan on a easy cook and about 70 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Injera, misir wat, gomen, shiro, or doro wat.

Regional lane

Injera and wot table. Stews, sauces, and flatbread built for communal injera service.

Chef watch-outs
  • Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.
  • Thinning the pot before the body of the soup or stew has developed.
  • Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
How you know it is ready
  • The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
  • The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
  • Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
Pantry lane

teff, berbere, mitmita, niter kibbeh, split peas

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Each recipe supports one main image and up to four extra prep, serving, or step photos when they are available.

Kik Alicha recipe from Ethiopia
Kik Alicha finished dish
Chef board

Build the table around Kik Alicha

Injera, misir wat, gomen, shiro, or doro wat.

Best route from here

Injera and wot table

Collections to keep cooking
Ethiopian Fasting Table
Servings 6

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

How to cook it

Step-by-step method

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Ethiopia
4 steps 10 min prep 60 min cook 70 min total easy
1
Cook aromatics
Cook onion in oil until soft, then add garlic, ginger, and turmeric.
aromatics 10:00
2
Add peas
Stir in split peas and water or stock.
combine 03:00
3
Simmer tender
Simmer until the peas are soft and beginning to break down.
pea simmer 45:00
4
Mash and finish
Mash lightly, season with salt, and simmer until creamy.
finish 07:00

Some versions use niter kibbeh, while fasting versions use oil. Texture ranges from loose stew to thick puree.

Keep exploring

Cook around Kik Alicha

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