Doro Wat (Ethiopian Chicken)
Ingredients
- juice of one lemon
- two teaspoons salt
- one chicken (about 3 pounds), cleaned and cut into serving-size pieces
- two (or more) onions, finely chopped
- four tablespoons niter kebbeh (or butter)
- four cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
- one piece fresh ginger root -- cleaned, scraped, and chopped (about a teaspoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon berberé -- or -- 1 - 2 tablespoons of a combination of cayenne pepper and paprika (if berberé and niter kebbeh are not used)
- 1 small tomato, chopped or a few tablespoons tomato paste or tomato sauce (optional)
- 1 cup chicken stock, water
Directions
- In a glass bowl, combine the lemon juice (some cooks use lime juice), half the salt, and chicken pieces. Let chicken marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Cook the onions over medium heat for a few minutes in a dry (no oil) pot or dutch
oven large enough to eventually hold all of the ingredients. Stir
constantly to prevent them from browning or burning; reduce heat or
remove the pot from the heat if necessary.
- Add the niter kebbeh or butter to the onions, along with the garlic, ginger, fenugreek, cardamom, nutmeg, remaining salt, berberé (or cayenne pepper and paprika), and tomato.
- Stir and simmer for a few minutes.
The onions should be soft, tender, and translucent, but not browned.
- Add the chicken stock, water, or dry red wine. Bring the mixture to a low boil while stirring gently.
- Cook for a few minutes, then reduce heat.
- Add the chicken pieces, making sure to cover them with the sauce.
Cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes — or until the chicken is done — turning the chicken a few times.
Serve hot. The only traditional way to serve doro wat is with a spongy flat bread called injera, which can only be properly made with difficult-to-obtain teff flour. While it's not the way Ethiopians would serve it, doro wat is very good with Couscous, Rice, or Middle-Eastern or Indian style flat bread.
The wine and tomato seem to be recent non-Ethiopian influences, but they are so widely used that they need to be reported here, even if their use is not traditional
