Willamette Week
Wat's Up -
by Sonja Al Sofi
''
Mudai's menu offers the usual Ethiopian assortment of spicy red stews, mellow green stews and salads, all served family-style on enjera bread--that tangy love child of a pancake and a crumpet. Mudai's delicate enjera quickly soaks up the luscious sauces, and as they mingle in its bubbly crevices you will taste a sublime harmony. You may be offered enjera on the side to scoop up the dishes, but refrain for your own good. Although it will save you from getting messy, you will miss out on the best part of the meal if you don't descend into the soggy depths of the foundational enjera.
Of the spicy red stews, we tried Kay (beef) Wat, Doro (chicken) Wat, Lamb Tibs and Kitfo. Both wats were expertly prepared in an intense, thick berbere sauce of sautéed onions and spices with tantalizing hints of paprika, cardamom, allspice and garlic. The Doro Wat ($8.50) was served with a cool, rich dollop of silky sour cream that perfectly soothed the afterburn of the berbere sauce. The lamb ($8.95), though also spicy, was more understated, its sauce a light mixture of tomatoes, butter, onions and paprika. Best of all was the Kitfo ($8.95), a smoldering mix of ground beef, red pepper, cinnamon and clarified butter accompanied by a rich Ethiopian curd cheese and sweet collard greens. In Ethiopia, Kitfo is often served raw as an after-dinner treat, but for those who prefer to pass on the E. coli , Mudai will gladly cook it..." >>more
THE PORTLAND MERCURY
MENU & TAKEOUT GUIDE  '' If you've never had Ethiopian, it's an experience in itself. Spicy, homey dishes are served with a sourdough crepe that's so spongy, it soaks up the stewy curries. And, of course you eat with your hands from one communal plate. It's primal and civilized at the same time.
But if you want to use a knife and fork, they serve takeout, too. Like Indian curry, Ethiopian is amazing after it's sat a night in the refrigerator. Just make sure you don't keep it in there too long or it will make your fridge smell like the bulk spice section at Fred Meyer.
The menu is short at Mudai, but that means you can't really go wrong. The Yemiser Azefa is a salad served with raw peppers, and the Miser Watt is spiced lentils that make even lentils taste good. If you want something mild, the Miser Alitcha is a lentil dish with onions and delicate spices.
I'd like to give a shout out to Asprin for speaking to the owner in Ethiopian, and scoring us a free round of drinks. Shout outs to the rest of my crew: Twoply, Foster Homes, M.C. Billy Brown, and of course, Poppakid. MB..." >>more
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