Recipe: Ethiopian Chicken Stew (Doro Wat)

ETHIOPIAN STEW (DORO WAT)

"If you haven't tasted Ethiopian food, you'll be surprised at the unique flavor of Doro Wat. Even if you have a chance to sample it at one of the growing numbers of Ethiopian restaurants in large cities. It's a dish worth trying at home. To eat it the Ethiopian way, pass around a tray of injera (flat bread), and place a large platter of wat in the center of the table so everyone can reach it. Tear off pieces of injera with your right hand. Fold the bread around bits of stew and eat, without touching you fingers to either the stew or your mouth (a trick that requires practice!)."

1 (2 to 3 lb) chicken
3 sticks butter (1 1/2 cups)
3 pounds onion fine chopped
2 large cloves garlic minced
3 heaping tbsp berbere (or to taste)*
9 ounces tomato paste
10 hard boiled eggs, peeled and slightly scored
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Injera (for serving)*

Remove skin from the chicken and score each piece slightly with a knife so the sauce can penetrate. Set aside.

In a large stew pot, melt the butter, then saute the onions and garlic for five minutes. Add berbere, followed by tomato paste, stirring occasionally while the mixture simmers about 15 minutes.

A piece at a time, stir in the chicken, coating well with the sauce. Continue to simmer, adding enough water to maintain the consistency of a thick soup. When chicken is half done, after about 20 minutes, put in the hard boiled eggs. Cover and continue cooking until the chicken is tender. The dish is ready when the oil has risen to the top.

Add black pepper and let sit until slightly cooled. Serve with injera.

*Homemade Berbere Recipes
**Homemade Injera Recipes

Makes 8 to 10 servings
Source: The Africa News Cookbook: African Cooking for the Western Kitchen by Africa News Service Inc. and Tami Hultman