Doro Wat (Ethiopian Stew)
Submitted by cruisinbeck
A rich Ethiopian chicken stew with three pounds of onions, butter, berbere spice, tomato paste, and scored hard-boiled eggs simmered until the oil rises to the top. Serve with injera for a feast.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
1 hrsThree pounds of onions. Three sticks of butter. Ten hard-boiled eggs. This is Doro Wat done big, the way it’s meant to be shared around a communal platter of spongy injera.
The onions and garlic get sautéed in a generous pool of butter before the berbere and tomato paste go in, creating a thick, rust-colored sauce that simmers and deepens with every minute on the stove.
Scored chicken pieces get coated in this spice-rich sauce, and halfway through cooking, the eggs join the party, absorbing all that fiery, buttery goodness. You know it’s ready when the oil rises to the surface.
Pro Tips
- Score the chicken and eggs with a knife so the berbere sauce can seep into every crevice
- Three pounds of onions sounds like a lot, but they cook down dramatically and form the backbone of the stew
- The dish tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to marry
- Keep the consistency like a thick soup by adding water gradually as it simmers
Ingredients
Directions
Remove skin from the chicken and score each piece slightly with a knife so the sauce can penetrate.
In a large stew pot, melt the butter, then sauté 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.
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