Doro wat

Name: Doro wat
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 45 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Ethiopia
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, jointed into 8 pieces (or 800g bone-in thighs/legs); 4 hard-boiled eggs, pierced all over with a fork; 4 tbsp berbere spice paste or powder (see notes); 3 large onions, very finely chopped (almost pureed); 4 garlic cloves, finely minced; 2 cm fresh ginger, grated; 3 tbsp niter kibbeh (Ethiopian spiced butter: or clarified butter as substitute); 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 200 ml water or light stock; 1 tsp salt; Injera (Ethiopian fermented flatbread), to serve

Ethiopian spiced chicken stew: the national dish, built on berbere and niter kibbeh

Origin: Ethiopia

From the journey of Chilli Pepper.

Doro wat (literally 'chicken stew' in Amharic) is the national dish of Ethiopia, a deeply spiced, brick-red chicken stew that is the centrepiece of every major Ethiopian celebration, from Christmas (Genna) to weddings and the Timkat festival. The dish's defining character comes from berbere, the complex Ethiopian spice blend in which chilli is the dominant heat, working alongside fenugreek, coriander, bishop's weed, korarima (Ethiopian cardamom), rue, and over a dozen other spices that together produce a depth no other spice blend in the world quite achieves. The chilli pepper reached Ethiopia from two directions simultaneously: via Portuguese traders operating along the East African coast and via the Ottoman Empire's Red Sea trade routes in the mid-16th century. It merged with Ethiopia's pre-existing tradition of spiced cooking and transformed it, berbere as we know it became possible only with the chilli's introduction, and doro wat became the culinary monument it is. The stew is cooked for hours with niter kibbeh (an Ethiopian spiced clarified butter infused with onion, garlic, ginger, and cardamom) and served on injera: the sourdough flatbread that functions as both plate and eating implement. Sharing doro wat from the same injera is an act of friendship and ceremony in Ethiopian culture.

Ingredients

Protein

1 whole chicken, jointed into 8 pieces (or 800g bone-in thighs/legs)

Eggs

4 hard-boiled eggs, pierced all over with a fork

Spice

4 tbsp berbere spice paste or powder (see notes)

Base

3 large onions, very finely chopped (almost pureed)
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 cm fresh ginger, grated

Fat

3 tbsp niter kibbeh (Ethiopian spiced butter: or clarified butter as substitute)
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Liquid

200 ml water or light stock

Seasoning

1 tsp salt

To serve

Injera (Ethiopian fermented flatbread), to serve

Method

Score the chicken pieces deeply to the bone. Rub with salt and a little lemon juice. Set aside.
The onion base is the foundation: cook the finely chopped onions in a large, heavy pot over medium heat WITH NO OIL for 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until completely dry and beginning to colour. This dry-caramelising of onion without fat is a distinctive Ethiopian technique that produces a very different flavour from oil-sautéed onion.
Add the niter kibbeh and oil. Cook for 5 more minutes. Add garlic and ginger, stir for 2 minutes.
Add the berbere. Stir and fry for 5 minutes until deeply fragrant and the fat has turned red from the spices.
Add the chicken pieces and water. Stir to coat the chicken in the berbere paste. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 40 minutes over low heat.
Add the hard-boiled eggs (pierced so they absorb the sauce). Cook uncovered for a further 15 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken until it coats the chicken in a glossy, dark red sauce.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve directly onto a large piece of injera, with additional injera rolled on the side for scooping.

Notes

Berbere paste (wet berbere) is available in Ethiopian and East African food shops and increasingly in specialty supermarkets. Berbere powder can also be used, add 3–4 tbsp and mix with a little water to form a paste before adding to the pot. Niter kibbeh (Ethiopian spiced ghee infused with onion, garlic, ginger, korarima, and other spices) is worth making or buying from an Ethiopian shop, substituting with plain ghee produces a good but noticeably different result. The pierced eggs are traditional and essential: they absorb the deep, spiced sauce and become entirely transformed from plain hard-boiled eggs.

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control