FIREHIWOT: So we are going to make a signature Mushroom Kitfo, and then...

Very popular in Ethiopia.

But in this case, we are going to do the vegan, the mushroom, so... SETH: Okay, so no butter, no meat.

FIREHIWOT: No butter.

We're going to use oils.

SETH: Ah.

FIREHIWOT: And then all vegan.

SETH: And the mushrooms are going to give me that nice meaty texture that you're looking for?

FIREHIWOT: Yes.

SETH: All right.

So how do you get started on this dish?

FIREHIWOT: All right.

This is the oil we use and then we use fresh rosemary and the onions.

So I'm cooking the onions.

SETH: And the rosemary is releasing an incredible aroma.

FIREHIWOT: The rosemary.

Yes.

And then now we are going to add the white mushrooms, and then we're going to add the chili powder.

SETH: So a lot of the spices that you're using would be the same as in the meat kitfo?

FIREHIWOT: Yes.

Yes.

And then a lot of cardamom.

SETH: A lot of good spices going in.

FIREHIWOT: Yeah.

So this is the spice.

My mom gave it to me.

SETH: Got it.

So this is mom's secret spice recipe?

FIREHIWOT: Yes.

Yes.

Add that.

SETH: Everyone's got to have their own secret spice recipe.

FIREHIWOT: Yes.

Yes.

SETH: But you're not giving up any of those spices?

FIREHIWOT: Yes, I'm not.

But I can tell you, this is garlic.

We add some garlic.

And then we do a little of the soy sauce.

SETH: Soy sauce is going to give it a little fuller body as well?

FIREHIWOT: Yes.

We don't want to overcook the mushrooms, SETH: It's always amazing to me, when you start cooking mushrooms it starts with so much and you're left with so little.

But I guess that's all those flavors concentrating in there.

FIREHIWOT: Yes.

We love spicy, so we can add more spicier jalapeño.

SETH: Just a little bit of spice going in there.

FIREHIWOT: Yes.

SETH: All right.

Well, I like medium spicy food, so we'll see how this goes.

FIREHIWOT: Sure.

All right, it seems ready now, so ... SETH: That was awfully quick.

FIREHIWOT: Yes.

SETH: It's just amazing how we're able to transform some plain old mushrooms into a beautiful looking stew.

FIREHIWOT: Yes.

So this is the mushroom kitfo.

Then we're going to build the veggie platter.

And while we are doing that, my mom is going to prepare the Ethiopian coffee.

SETH: Ooh, that sounds really good.

FIREHIWOT: All right.

SETH: All right, let's do it.

FIREHIWOT: Okay.

SETH: To begin preparing the Ethiopian coffee, Abayesh starts with roasting the fresh coffee beans before grinding them and adding them along with spices to the jebena to brew.

FIREHIWOT: So now we are going to build our vegetarian platters.

So we're going to start with the mushroom kitfo.

SETH: All right.

I can tell there's a lot more beautiful colors here on the table.

FIREHIWOT: Yes.

This is the spiced lentils.

We call it key misir.

Just a spicy.

This is the yellow split beans.

We call it kik alicha.

So it's not spicy.

We use turmeric for this.

This is the green beans and carrots, and this is the collard greens.

SETH: All these are vegan, no?

FIREHIWOT: Yeah, all vegan.

All vegan.

And then this is the potato, carrots and the cabbage.

This is the beets.

We call it key sir in Amharic.

So this is the shiro, the chickpeas.

We use the mild spicy sauce.

SETH: All right.

Chef, this platter is just loaded up to the brim.

And I've had Ethiopian food, so at least I'm a little familiar with injera, but it looks like maybe we have two different types of it over here?

FIREHIWOT: Yes.

So that's the gluten-free injera teff 100%.

Yeah.

SETH: And so this one has a little bit of a flour in it as well?

FIREHIWOT: Flour, white flour, rice.

SETH: All right.

And what do people in the restaurant generally prefer?

FIREHIWOT: They prefer the teff injera hundred percent.

SETH: All right.

So this is going to be gluten-free and vegan.

FIREHIWOT: Yeah.

SETH: So should I just tear a piece and go for it?

FIREHIWOT: Yeah, please.

SETH: Okay.

FIREHIWOT: Enjoy.

SETH: Well, I've got to start with the kitfo.

All right, here we go.

FIREHIWOT: Okay.

SETH: All right.

FIREHIWOT: Okay.

SETH: That is a 10 out of 10.

It's meaty, but you still get the flavor of the mushrooms.

The rosemary has imparted such a wonderful flavor to it.

It's not too spicy.

FIREHIWOT: No, it's not.

SETH: Is there any shame in making flavor combinations?

Like combining the kitfo with anything else?

FIREHIWOT: So we can combine the kitfo with collard greens, which is the gomen.

SETH: Okay.

Because this is really kind of a choose-your-own-adventure meal, right?

FIREHIWOT: Yes.

SETH: Go anywhere you want?

FIREHIWOT: Uh-huh.

SETH: Delicious.

FIREHIWOT: Mm-hmm.

SETH: But I do need a little bit of spice.

FIREHIWOT: Okay.

SETH: Yeah, these lentils look nice and red and a little bit fiery.

FIREHIWOT: Yes.

Go ahead.

SETH: Oh boy.

Spicy.

Not too spicy.

FIREHIWOT: Yeah.

SETH: But like everything else, it's just tons of vibrant flavors.

The spices, you can just tell how fresh they are.

And for you, eating plant-based foods, this isn't a fad or a hobby.

I mean, this is very integral to your experience, right?

FIREHIWOT: Yeah.

So as an Orthodox Christian, we like to fast.

For example, the past Christmas, we fast for 40 days.

SETH: 40 days.

FIREHIWOT: And we break our fasting, we like to have a veggie and a vegan platter.

SETH: Wow.

Okay.

And... Oh, it looks like we've got one more addition to the meal here.

FIREHIWOT: Yes.

This is the main thing.

Our coffee ceremony.

SETH: Oh, wow.

These incense.

FIREHIWOT: Yeah.

This is big part of our culture, the coffee, the tea.

SETH: I'm so used to starting my day with a cup of coffee, but this is a post-meal thing?

FIREHIWOT: Yeah, so we do after meal because we need time to talk.

So some people do with the sugar and the salt and then even the butter.

SETH: Butter.

Okay.

FIREHIWOT: Yes.

But I prefer with sugar.

And then while we do the coffee, you know, we talk about day, you know, our problems.