Spicy Ethiopian Doro Wat and Injera Style Bread
Created by Kari Ray
Ethiopian cuisine is distinctive and delicious, which is appropriate for such a remarkable country whose cultural heritage stands out from the rest of Africa. Their food is best enjoyed when shared over a long meal reclining at the table with close friends and family. Doro Wat is a well known Ethiopian dish that blends chicken, vegetables and earthy spices into a warm stew. Pair this spicy stew with tangy injera bread and you will have a feast for the eyes as well as the palate!
Doro Wat
INGREDIENTS
- 3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tbsp niter kibbeh or butter
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups yellow onions pureed in a food processor
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, finely minced
- 1/4 cup berbere spice homemade or store bought (recipe follows)
- 1 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 4 hard-boiled eggs pierced all over with fork about 1/4 inch deep
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the niter kibbeh or butter along with the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and sauté, covered, over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon butter and continue to sauté, covered, for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the berbere and the 2 remaining tablespoons of butter and continue to sauté, covered, over low heat for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chicken, broth, salt and wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Adjust the seasonings, adding more berbere according to heat preference. Add the boiled eggs and simmer on low heat, covered, for another 15 minutes.
- Half the eggs and arrange on the plates with the stew. Serve hot with injera, bread or rice.
Note:
Slow cooking the onions and spices is very important to bring out the flavors of this dish.
Berbere Spice
INGREDIENTS
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 whole allspice berries
- Seeds of 5 green cardamom pods
- 4 cloves
- 5 dried red chiles, deseeded and torn into small pieces
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a heavy skillet over high heat, toast the whole spices and chiles until very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning.
- Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.
- Grind the cooled spices in a spice or coffee grinder.
- Add remaining ground spices and salt to the grinder and grind once more.
- Store in an airtight container.
Injera Style Flat Bread
INGREDIENTS
Starter:
- ½ cup teff flour
- ¼ cup corn meal
- ½ tbsp sugar
- ½ tbsp dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water
Remaining ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 cups warm water (more if needed to achieve desired texture)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine teff flour, corn meal, sugar, yeast and water. Mix and let it rise for about an hour.
- Meanwhile, in large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
- Add the starter mixture to the flour, mix thoroughly.
- Add water (more or less) until a runny batter is achieved. It should be thicker than a crepe batter, but thinner than an American pancake batter.
- Let it rise for about 2 hours
- Heat a skillet, crepe pan, or non-stick frying pan on medium high heat.
- Use a ladle to pour about ¾ cup of the injera batter on to the pan. Using the back side of the ladle, spread the batter from the center in a circular motion. (about the size of a dinner plate) As it begins to cook, the batter will form little bubbles throughout. You will know it’s done when the batter has a dry appearance on top. No need to turn the batter.
- Transfer to a plate with a spatula or plate, set aside and continue cooking until the batter is finished.
To serve, spoon Doro Wat onto Injera and enjoy!
PREP TIME
45 minutesCOOK TIME
2 hoursTOTAL TIME
2 hours 45 minutesSERVING SIZE
1 cupYIELD
6 servingsRATING
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