1.5 kg whole chicken, skinned and cut into 12 traditional pieces
1 lemon
1 tbsp salt
1.5 kg red onions
120 ml niter kibbeh
60 g berbere
6 cloves garlic
30 g fresh ginger
500 ml water
6 eggs
1 tsp ground korerima
1 tsp mekelesha
to taste salt
6 injera
Method
01
Soak the chicken Put the chicken pieces in a bowl of cold water with the lemon juice and one tablespoon of salt, and leave them to soak for thirty minutes, then drain and rinse.
02
Mince the onions While the chicken soaks, mince the red onions as finely as you can, almost to a paste.
03
Dry-cook the onions Put the minced onions in a heavy pot over medium-low heat with no fat at all, and cook them slowly, stirring often, for about forty minutes until they are soft, reduced and a deep golden brown.
04
Add the niter kibbeh Stir in the niter kibbeh and keep cooking the onions gently for ten minutes.
05
Cook the berbere Stir in the berbere and cook for about fifteen minutes, adding a splash of water whenever it looks dry, until the sauce turns dark red and the butter starts to separate at the edges.
06
Add garlic and ginger Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for five minutes until fragrant.
07
Coat the chicken Add the drained chicken pieces and turn them in the sauce, cooking for ten minutes so they take on the colour of the berbere.
08
Simmer the stew Pour in the water, bring it to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook for about forty minutes, stirring now and then, until the chicken is tender.
09
Boil the eggs While the stew simmers, boil the eggs for ten minutes, cool them in cold water, peel them, and cut a few shallow slits on each one.
10
Add eggs and spices Add the eggs, the korerima and the mekelesha, season with salt, and simmer gently for ten more minutes.
11
Rest and serve Take the pot off the heat, let the stew rest for ten minutes, then spoon it onto injera so each person gets chicken and a whole egg.
Doro wat is a deeply spiced Ethiopian chicken stew built on slow-cooked onions, niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter) and berbere, finished with whole hard-boiled eggs and eaten with injera. It is the centrepiece of holiday tables across Ethiopia, especially when breaking the long fasts before Fasika (Easter) and Genna (Christmas).
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Method
1
Soak the chicken
Put the chicken pieces in a bowl of cold water with the lemon juice and one tablespoon of salt, and leave them to soak for thirty minutes, then drain and rinse.
Score each piece lightly with a knife so the sauce can soak in later.
Soak the chicken · 30 min
2
Mince the onions
While the chicken soaks, mince the red onions as finely as you can, almost to a paste.
A food processor works well here; pulse rather than blend so the onions do not turn watery.
3
Dry-cook the onions
Put the minced onions in a heavy pot over medium-low heat with no fat at all, and cook them slowly, stirring often, for about forty minutes until they are soft, reduced and a deep golden brown.
If the onions start to catch on the bottom, add a small splash of water and keep stirring. Do not rush this step; the onions are the body of the sauce.
Dry-cook the onions · 40 min
4
Add the niter kibbeh
Stir in the niter kibbeh and keep cooking the onions gently for ten minutes.
Add the niter kibbeh · 10 min
5
Cook the berbere
Stir in the berbere and cook for about fifteen minutes, adding a splash of water whenever it looks dry, until the sauce turns dark red and the butter starts to separate at the edges.
Berbere burns easily and turns bitter, so keep the heat low and keep stirring.
Cook the berbere · 15 min
6
Add garlic and ginger
Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for five minutes until fragrant.
Add garlic and ginger · 5 min
7
Coat the chicken
Add the drained chicken pieces and turn them in the sauce, cooking for ten minutes so they take on the colour of the berbere.
Coat the chicken · 10 min
8
Simmer the stew
Pour in the water, bring it to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook for about forty minutes, stirring now and then, until the chicken is tender.
The sauce should be thick and glossy, not soupy. If it is too thin, simmer uncovered for the last ten minutes.
Simmer the stew · 40 min
9
Boil the eggs
While the stew simmers, boil the eggs for ten minutes, cool them in cold water, peel them, and cut a few shallow slits on each one.
Boil the eggs · 10 min
10
Add eggs and spices
Add the eggs, the korerima and the mekelesha, season with salt, and simmer gently for ten more minutes.
If you cannot find korerima, use green cardamom, but use a little less as it is stronger.
Add eggs and spices · 10 min
11
Rest and serve
Take the pot off the heat, let the stew rest for ten minutes, then spoon it onto injera so each person gets chicken and a whole egg.