Doro Wat
- Cuisine: African
- Course: Main Course
Summary:
In Ethiopia and for Ethiopians in the Washington area, no holiday meal is complete without doro wat -- a spicy chicken stew that includes whole, hard-boiled eggs. Senedu Zewdie, owner of Sodere restaurant on Ninth Street NW, uses a recipe passed down from her mother, Bogelch W-Maryam.
Doro wat, like many Ethiopian dishes, is extremely spicy for those unaccustomed to the cuisine. To enjoy the sauce, dip injera bread into it. Allow at least 41/2 hours for the preparation of this traditional dish.
12 servings
Ingredients:
- 8 cups chopped onion
- 6 1/2 cups water
- 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
- 2 cups spiced butter (known as nitir kibe; available in small tubs at Ethiopian markets)
- 1 1/2 cups berbere (a ground spice mixture dominated by red chili pepper; available at Ethiopian markets)
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 6 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
- 6 bone-in, skinless chicken legs
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup sweet white wine
- 12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled
Directions:
In a pot large enough to eventually hold all the ingredients, on medium-low heat, heat the onions and 1/2 cup of the water, stirring occasionally, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the onions have turned golden brown.
Add the tomato paste to the pot and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring to incorporate until heated through. Add the spiced butter, berbere, garlic and ginger. When the butter has melted, adjust the heat to low and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
When the spice-onion mixture has cooked for 30 minutes, prepare the chicken. In a medium pot on high heat, add the chicken with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat slightly to poach the chicken, about 15 minutes. Drain the chicken, discarding the cooking liquid.
When the spice-onion mixture has cooked for a total of 1 hour, add the chicken to it and let cook for an additional hour over low heat.
Add the remaining 6 cups of water and stir carefully to incorporate the liquid. Let cook, adjusting the heat to a simmer, until the sauce thickens and heats through, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cardamom, black pepper and wine. Mix in the hard-cooked eggs and cook for 15 minutes.
Recipe Source:
Adapted from Senedu Zewdie.
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