A HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE ETHIOPIAN EATERY OFFERS AUTHENTICITY.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

At the San Fernando Valley's new, and possibly only, Ethiopian restaurant - here titled Langano, the name of a resort in Ethiopia - the tables are squarish in the usual western-style, draped with a white washable-type tablecloth, yet peculiarly bereft of any ware.

That's because Ethiopians, as a rule, eat their food by scooping it into pieces of pancake-like bread called ``injera'' and placing it directly into the mouth without help from anything resembling a knife, fork, spoon or chopstick.

Actually, there are certain festive occasions when large pieces of cooked meat are traditionally passed around from person to person and, after the meat is placed in the mouth, a knife is used to cut away the remaining portion to be passed on, just missing the nose of the eater by a hair. Obviously, one should be practiced when dining in this fashion.

Also, in Ethiopia, the traditional method of eating takes place at a mesob, which is a colorful, circular-topped wicker basket table. At Langano, however, the food is served on a large round tray that presumably would fit atop a mesob if one were handy, and whatever items had been requested are arranged in small heaps perched on a large, flat round wheel of the injera bread.

Injera is slightly spongy in texture with a touch of elasticity, making it perfect for its prescribed utilization as a finger-food wrapper ready for the variety of Ethiopian goodies on your table.

This can range from a salad of cut-up lettuce and tomato ($1.50) to chicken cooked in a red pepper sauce with garlic, onions and aromatic spices, a dish known as yesga keywot.

Ethiopian cooking relies on peppery spice mixtures known as herbere, often containing paprika, ginger root, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, coriander, fenugreek and allspice besides red pepper, salt, onions and garlic.

Langano wisely provides dishes with varying degrees of peppery heat. If you want to test your palate's receptivity to chili pepper strength, order sinig karia ($1.50), two green chilies stuffed with an onion and tomato mixture.

Though there's no real separation of appetizer and entree, a dish called aziffa ($1.50) can be had, and it's quite enjoyable.

You could call it a dip, but that term sounds silly when anything you order that's not a beverage at Langano could be described as a dip of sorts.

Made with lentils that are flavored with mustard and mixed with onion, aziffa is served cold and is easy to smear on or scoop up with a piece of injera as a starter.

Langano's kitchen makes beef a number of ways, probably the best being the national dish called kitfo made with well-seasoned, finely ground beef ($7.75). There's also a version of kitfo priced at $1 extra that comes mixed with the most popular vegetable of Ethiopia, steamed, spicy collard greens (yehabesha gomen) and cheese.

The somewhat bitter greens can be ordered separately ($1.50) or as part of a vegetarian combination ($8.75).

The veggie grouping with the collards offers a portion of yemisir wot, a tasty lentil paste made with spiced butter and seasoned with several additional spices. Also, there's a ground peas, red-sauced, butter-infused mixture called yeshiro wot.

The remaining vegetables in this combo are potatoes, carrots and cabbage cooked together with Ethiopian seasonings and a beet and potato salad called keysirna dinich.

One night we chose an alternative combination of vegetables ($8.75) without the collard greens (replaced by the previously mentioned lettuce and tomato salad). The peas in this group are nicely steamed and served with spiced butter, garlic, onions and ginger.

The yesimir wot is included along with the melange of potatoes, carrot and cabbage. Also with this order comes green beans with carrots and onion.

The cubed beef (yesga) dish with green chilies (yealicha tibs) comes forth pretty spicy ($7), and the beef wasn't as tender one evening as a milder, similar dish (yesga alicha, $7.50) without the chilies, enjoyed a couple of nights later.

Our vote for the best entree, however, went to the chicken rendition.

It's a fun learning experience.

Plenty of adventure at Langano.

And the prices are lower than moderate.

The facts

--The restaurant: Langano.

--Where: 14838 Burbank Blvd., Sherman Oaks.

--When: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

--Recommended items: Aziffa (lentil dip), kitfo (chopped beef), yesga keywot (chicken in red pepper sauce), yesga alicha (mild beef stew), yesimir wot (split lentil in red pepper sauce), yekik alicha (steamed peas with onions), stuffed chili peppers, variety of vegetarian items (potato, carrot, cabbage, collard greens, green beans, beets, potato salad, lentils, lettuce and tomato salad), Ethiopian coffee.

--How much: Appetizers and sides $1.50 each, entrees from $5 to $10.50, dessert $2. AE, MC, V.

--Wine list: No alcohol.

--Reservations: Taken for parties of five or more. Call [phone].

--Our rating: Three stars for food; Three stars for service; Three and one half stars for value.

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Photo:

Langano owner Mimi Yigezu displays her restaurant's combination tray.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer