Doro Wat is a popular Ethiopian dish.  Literally translated as “chicken sauce” it’s spicy, chickeny and delicious.  And not too hard to make!  The only ingredient that your local grocery store probably won’t have is berebere.  In Seattle, head to Tana Market and get yourself some injera to go with it.  Once you have berebere in hand, plow ahead.  Or substitute something chili-powder like if you’re desperate.

Start with:

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 or 2 lemons, juiced
• 1t salt

Cut chicken into 8 pieces.  Marinate in lemon juice, salt for 30+ minutes.  You might want to stick the chicken carcass in another pot with water and boil it for stock.

• 2 onions chopped

Saute first two onions *without oil* on medium heat until transparent, moving regularly.  They say not to let it brown.  Use a good sized pot like a soup pot since everything is going in here.  While this is happening…

• 1 more onion
• 1 chunk of ginger, peeled (about 2 inches, maybe 3)
• 6 cloves garlic

Food process the extra onion, ginger, garlic.  When the first onions are ready, throw this tasty stuff into the pot along with…

• 4T butter (clarified Ethiopian butter if you’re cooler than me)
• 2T Paprika
• 4T Berebere
• 1t ground cardamom
• 1t ground fenugreek
• 1/2t ground nutmeg
• 1t salt

Note that you can trade berebere for paprika.  More berebere = more spicy.  This formulation is somewhat spicy.  Cook this stuff together for a few minutes, so it’s hot and well mixed. If you want a deep warm umami flavor, let this mixture saute for 5-10 minutes before moving on.  If you want it sharper and brighter, don’t linger here so long.

Next step, throw in the marinated chicken and:

• 1 cup chicken stock (about)

Slightly tricky here to add enough stock to cover the chicken, but not so much to make the sauce watery.  Have some faith that the chicken will “cook down” as its proteins are denatured.  Adjust heat to a simmer and wait for the chicken to cook, probably about 30 minutes.  We’re almost done.  A few last things.

• 6 hard boiled eggs

Cut slits into the sides of the eggs so they get more saucy goodness soaked in.  Add them to the mix about 10 minutes before serving.  Be gentle with them!  Also, if you’re so motivated, you might pull the good cooked meat off the boiled carcass, and throw it in too.

Now you’re ready to serve the traditional preparation.  My alternative variation is to keep simmering before the eggs for about another hour so the chicken is literally falling off the bones.  Remove bones, skins, knuckles, tendons, menisci, etc.  Then you get something that’s a lot more like “chicken sauce” with meat and sauce all mixed together.  It’s really good!

Oh and of course, serve with

• Injera

and eat it with your hands.

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 @ 1:49 PM Recipes
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