Doro Wat
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Ethiopia's most celebratory dish — chicken stew slow-cooked in berbere spice and nit'ir kibbeh (spiced clarified butter) until the sauce turns deep red and velvety. Hard-boiled eggs are added at the end, scoring them so they absorb the sauce. Eaten communally by tearing off pieces of injera (sourdough flatbread) and scooping up the stew. The berbere — a complex blend of chili, fenugreek, cardamom, and dozens of other spices — defines Ethiopian cooking.
Ingredients
- 2000 gred onions (finely minced)
- 1000 gchicken drumsticks (skinned)
- 150 gniter kibbeh (spiced butter)
- 0.5 cupberbere spice blend
- 6 pieceshard-boiled eggs
- 3 tbspgarlic & ginger paste
- 2 tbsplemon juice
- 4 piecesinjera (fermented flatbread)
Directions
- 1
Slow-cook the minced onions in a dry pot over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring constantly until they lose all moisture and turn into a jam-like paste.
- 2
Add the niter kibbeh and let it melt into the onions; then stir in the berbere spice and cook for another 15 minutes.
- 3
Add the garlic-ginger paste and a splash of wine or broth if the mixture is too dry; the base should be deep mahogany.
- 4
Add the chicken drumsticks, coating them thoroughly in the onion paste; cover and simmer for 45 minutes until tender.
- 5
Make small incisions in the hard-boiled eggs and add them to the pot for the last 10 minutes to soak up the sauce.
- 6
Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.
- 7
Serve on a large piece of injera; use the bread as your only utensil to scoop up the chicken and sauce.