- How do you say thank you?
(speaking in Amharic)
- It's longer than I thought.
Hi, I'm Rie.
- Hi I'm Mimo.
- Today Mimo is going to teach me her favorite food,
(Amharic) from Ethiopia.
- The catch is,
(speaking in Amharic)
- What did you just say?
(speaking in Amharic)
Do you know any Amharic?
- I have no idea, so that is Amharic?
- This is Amharic, one of the languages in Ethiopia.
- And I have to just follow your instruction in Amharic.
- That's the rules.
I can teach you how to count to five.
- Yes.
(both counting in Amharic)
- Don't worry, I'll give you sost lifelines.
The first one, you can Google it.
Lifeline 2 is, I'll give you this or that.
- Okay.
- So one correct instruction and one wrong instruction.
You'll have to pick.
- What will happen if I pick wrong one?
- That's what you get. (laughs)
So third lifeline is, I'm lost.
And then I'll give you the instructions in English.
- I'm lost!
I don't want to use it. (laughs)
(both speaking Amharic)
- (speaking Amharic)
- Open the bag?
- (speaking Amharic)
- One cup?
- (speaking Amharic)
- I have no idea, and lentils takes a long time.
So I thought I was the first thing you have to do.
- Hmm.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Okay, I'm gonna add lentils.
But I'm gonna just do it.
Cause like, I have no idea.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Water?
- (speaking Amharic)
- When I cook lentils, I put-
- (speaking Amharic)
- Full? Full?
- (speaking Amharic)
- I have to cook it on the stove top?
- Yes. Wow!
- It's just like, how to cook lentils.
(both laugh)
Do you salt?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Just a pinch, just a pinch
- (speaking Amharic)
- Okay, so I'm just gonna put the lid.
- (speaking Amharic)
- As soon as it comes out?
- - (speaking Amharic)
Oh, set aside.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Cutting board?
- Yup
- (speaking Amharic)
- Knife?
- What do you need when you have a cutting board?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Yes!
- (speaking Amharic)
- Oh, red onion is (speaking Amharic)
- (speaking Amharic)
- Mic test? Sound like mic test, mic test.
- We use red onion in like, pretty much every dish
in Ethiopia.
And your house smells like red onion all the time.
If you're gonna go out and your mom is cooking
Ethiopian food, you wanna shower and exit the house.
Otherwise, you'll just like, smell like red onion.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Okay. Like, I wanna say slow down,
but even if you slow down I have no idea.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Dice.
- [Producer] What do you think she's saying right now?
- I have no idea.
She said, cut the few.
Oh, is it like smaller?
- (speaking Amharic)
- She says, why not?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Okay, she's smiling, so I think it's good.
How much do we use?
- (speaking Amharic)
- (speaking Japanese)
- (laughs) Are you speaking Japanese?
- (speaking Amharic)
What do you think that means?
- Hurry, hurry.
(both laugh)
- It's like, okay, okay.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Oh, it's boiling, so you have to?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Okay, okay.
Turn down to medium?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Set aside?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Am I onion?
- (speaking Amharic)
- (Amharic) is red.
(Amharic) is red.
(Amharic) is onion.
- Onion, yes.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Hey, but it's not the same.
- It looks the same.
It's the same family.
(Amharic) is white.
- (speaking Amharic)
- I was just like, lost.
You were saying like, you are onion.
Are you onion? Am I onion?
Like, I'm not onion.
- (speaking Amharic)
- [Producer] Rie, do you have any idea what you're saying?
- I have no idea.
(both speaking Amharic)
- (speaking Amharic)
- Jalapeno.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Cause this is the only vegetable left.
It's, this sounds more like garlic.
I think, this is also minced, like same size as-
- (speaking Amharic)
- What does (Amharic) mean?
- (Amharic) is like, good job!
Like, you're doing it.
Like, if you get an A and you come home,
your mom will be like (Amharic)
- Aww, that's nice.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Don't need to remove? Leave some spice?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Do you like spicy?
- (speaking Amharic)
- I like spicy, but I don't like too spicy.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Okay.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Combine?
- (speaking Amharic)
- (Amharic). It's set aside, isn't it?
- (both) Yes!
- (speaking Amharic)
- I think you have to cook this, so we need one more.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Ladle?
- Do you wanna use one of your lifelines?
- Yes.
- Okay, which one?
- This or that.
The instruction I gave you means you can use that pan
or another pan.
- Oh, okay.
So I didn't see that one.
Oh, I feel like I wasted a lifeline.
- It's okay.
Now you know a new word.
- How about this one?
How do you call?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Do you need two pans?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Oil?
- Wow! How did you know?
Also, they say that in Middle East.
- A lot of oil?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Soup? Soup?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Two spoons?
- Soup spoons.
- Two soup spoons?
- No, no, I am saying - (laughs)
- Oh! Okay, got it. Two tablespoons.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Ah, okay.
Two tablespoons of (Amharic).
- (speaking Amharic)
- Red onion first?
- Perfect.
- And saute. Okay.
How do you keep up your language?
- I lost my Ethiopian accent, so when I talk to people
they don't recognize it.
I talk to my mom, my sister, I only remember how to talk
to women cause I don't really talk to men in Amharic
and it's different.
And I was like, oh I'm so glad I'm working with Rie,
cause I was like, if it was a man I would be butchering it.
- Wait, so how is it different?
- It's like French or like Spanish,
like to a man and to a woman is different,
also to an older person and someone your age is different.
- Is it like a respect thing?
- Yeah, it's respect for gender.
- We do have that.
- (speaking Amharic)
- (Amharic). Red onion.
I'm going to saute for five minutes
until this is soft and tender.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Garlic and jalapeno. Saute until fragrant.
That's what I guess.
- I was like, I'm not even speaking! You got it.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Cumin.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Do you know what (Amharic) is?
- Oh, tea!
(speaking Amharic)
- One. I love cumin.
Do you use a lot of cumin in your cooking?
- My house, we do.
So every family has different spice mixes,
but this is my mom's way of making this.
Different people put different spices,
I think some people put cardamom.
Also in different regions is different spices,
this is the way my family makes it.
- (speaking Amharic)
- (Amharic) is the lentil right?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Everything? Perfect, okay!
- (speaking Amharic)
- (Amharic) bye!
- (speaking Amharic)
- Coriander, cilantro.
- Oh, cilantro! Okay.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Take it off from the heat and sprinkle some cilantro.
(both laugh)
- (speaking Amharic)
- Mix, right? Oh, it smells so good!
- (speaking Amharic)
- Set aside. Oh, it's not end. This is not the dish.
- (speaking Amharic)
We're just getting started.
- No way. Okay.
- (speaking Amharic)
Did you understand?
- No. Lifeline, lifeline.
- Okay, which one would you like?
- Google. Can you Google (Amharic)?
- Are you ready?
- Flour. (Amharic) Okay, flour.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Okay, one tablespoon flour.
- (speaking Amharic)
- (Amharic) Water.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Same amount?
- (speaking Amharic)
- She's taking away from me.
I think-
- (speaking Amharic)
- More?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Cut in half?
- (speaking Amharic)
- I'm gonna just cut it, and if it's wrong, she will-
- (speaking Amharic)
- I'm gonna use my last lifeline, cause I'm almost there.
I am lost! Please show me.
- Okay, how I do it, you cut it in like threes.
- Oh, okay.
- And then, you double line it, or twos,
I guess two and a half.
I'll show you how to fold it.
So you fold it like this,
and then you fold this one like this, and then you stuff it,
and then you fold this one back into there.
- (speaking Amharic) Understood?
- Okay, I've never seen that technique before.
- I actually like how you were doing it too.
Maybe it's easier, maybe you can make some that way.
- Yeah, but I like, I'm gonna follow yours.
- (speaking Amharic)
- And you are going to stuff, where, here?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Usually a lot of people do it,
like it's not a one person job.
We just sit and all fold it together.
- I feel like I'm the slowest person.
- (speaking Amharic)
- That's the glue?
- (speaking Amharic)
- It is mostly skin.
(both laughing)
- I have no idea what I'm-
- (speaking Amharic)
- Is it good?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Are you sure?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Isn't it too flat though?
I'm going to try a few more, until I get it right.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Look how much progress I made.
This one almost no filling, this is my first try.
And now, I know how to stuff.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Set aside.
I think we have to fry right?
- We do.
- In oil?
- (speaking Amharic)
- 375?
- Less.
- 365.
- 350.
- 350. I'm sorry!
We gotta wait until this reaches 350.
- Yeah, but you have to say 350 in Amharic.
(speaking Amharic)
- Okay, it's 350.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Like three? No, four.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Until golden brown? Five minutes?
Sounds funny.
- They're talking. They're speaking Amharic.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Oh, drain the oil.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Another four?
- (speaking Amharic)
- Okay, do everything.
- Okay, (Amharic) is six.
- A new number.
- Is Mimo a popular name?
- No, I think Mimi is popular,
but my grandmother called me Mimo when I was little.
And then it stayed. That's actually not my real name.
- Oh, what's your real name?
- It's Bemnat, Bemnat is my real name,
but we have house names, and my house name was Mimo.
Because it's like my, my little girl, so my grandma-.
- Oh, so it's kinda nickname.
- Yeah, but then it's like now my actual name.
It's normal for little lentils to come out.
- All right.
- (speaking Amharic)
- Okay, I'm assuming, just plate?
- (speaking Amharic)
- This is nothing.
- (speaking Amharic)
- I'll go get mine, wanna compare?
- Okay, yes.
- All right, I'll be back.
You ready?
- Aww, yours so pretty!
- You did really good, I'm impressed.
- Thank you!
I think I did great.
I had no idea what she was talking about,
but I did my best.
- I'm excited, it looks crunchy.
- Let's try yours first.
- All right, I'm gonna try this one.
- Mmm, it's good. Are you gonna be making this?
- Yeah, it was easy if it was English or Japanese.
- Yeah, for sure.
- And this is vegetarian.
- Yeah, it is. We usually make it with lentils.
Other cultures make it with ground beef.
So we call this in Ethiopia, sambusa.
- Sambusa. It almost sounds like samosa.
- I don't know where the translation got lost,
but we pronounce it sambusa.
But it's the same as samosa. You wanna try mine?
- Yeah!
- Let's do it.
- So cute.
I like yours filled a lot of filling,
like I was struggling filling inside, but this is plump.
- Yeah, most of the time you learn how to make this
when you're little, cause it's a family activity.
And your mom would be frying it,
and the kids would be folding it,
so I've been doing this since I was very little.
- Oh wow.
- But you're getting started now, so one day,
yours will be as fluffy as mine.
- Yes. Thank you so much for teaching me Amharic,
and thank you so much for teaching me how to cook
sambusa.
- You're so welcome, thanks for learning.
- Thank you, and thank you guys!
Follow me on my journey!
(both) Ciao!
- [Man] Oh, yes!
(cheerful music)