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Finished and plated dish: Doro Wat (Authentic Spicy Ethiopian Chicken Stew)
Fotografía del plato terminado: Doro Wat (Authentic Spicy Ethiopian Chicken Stew)
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Doro Wat (Authentic Spicy Ethiopian Chicken Stew)

Por Álvaro (RecetAI)•Actualizada recientemente
Etiopía
A Thousand and One Spices, Slow Cooked, Palate Safari
TraditionalGluten-Free
  • 4
    servings
  • 589 kcal/serving
  • avanzado

Ingredients

Still life with the fresh ingredients needed for the recipe

  • Large red onions (The pillar. You need a mountain. Finely chopped)

    6 unidades (aprox. 1.2 kg)

  • Niter Kibbeh (Spiced Ethiopian clarified butter. Replaceable by Ghee + cardamom/cinnamon)

    4 cucharadas

  • Berbere (Fiery and complex Ethiopian spice blend - Essential)

    3 a 4 cucharadas rebosantes

  • Chicken thighs or drumsticks (bone-in or boneless)

    800 g

  • Fresh lemon juice (To wash and marinate the chicken)

    1 limón

  • Chicken eggs (Hard-boiled and peeled)

    4 units

  • Fresh garlic and fresh ginger (Both grated into a paste)

    4 dientes de ajo y un pulgar de jengibre

  • Tej honey wine (or dry red wine if Tej is unavailable)

    100 ml

  • Water or chicken broth (Very little, just to prevent sticking)

    150 ml

Utensils needed

    About this recipe

    The undisputed king of Ethiopian cuisine and the national dish that defines their celebrations.

    Doro Wat is a culinary masterpiece that demands extreme patience and rewards with an almost impossibly deep flavor profile.

    Unlike western stews, its base ('kulet') does not begin by frying vegetables in oil, but by dry-cooking a massive mountain of finely chopped onions for hours until they caramelize, break down, and darken into a sweet, almost black purée.

    This base is electrified with the fiery 'Berbere' spice blend and enriched with 'Niter Kibbeh' (Ethiopia's sacred spiced clarified butter).

    Lemon-marinated chicken and hard-boiled eggs (scored to absorb the sauce) finish this dense, dark volcanic magma, designed to be eaten exclusively using the spongy flatbread called 'Injera' as a spoon.

    Instructions

    1
    Step 1

    Step 1

    The Baptism of the Chicken: Ethiopian tradition demands impeccably clean meat. Cut the chicken into pieces. Wash them well under cold water, rub them with salt, rinse, and place them in a bowl. Squeeze the entire lemon juice over them and massage the pieces. Let it sit while you make the long journey of the sauce.

    You will need:

    800 gChicken thighs or drumsticks (bone-in or boneless)1 limónFresh lemon juice (To wash and marinate the chicken)
    2
    Step 2

    Step 2

    The Dry Fire (Patience): You need the patience of a saint. Chop the 6 gigantic red onions as finely as possible. Place a cast-iron pot over medium-low heat without a single drop of fat or oil. At all. Toss in the onions. Your mission is to stew them in their own water while stirring constantly. You must cook them like this for 40 to 60 minutes. This step caramelizes the sugars and breaks down the cell walls, creating a dark, sweet purée (the 'Kulet').

    You will need:

    6 unidades (aprox. 1.2 kg)Large red onions (The pillar. You need a mountain. Finely chopped)
    3
    Step 3

    Step 3

    The Baptism of Kibbeh: When the mountain of onions has astonishingly reduced to a third of its original size, is a deep dark brown, and free of all liquid, it's time to introduce the fat. Add the fragrant Niter Kibbeh (or Ghee). Fry the onion paste in the fat for another fiery 10 minutes, letting it absorb the splendid spiced, buttery flavor of Ethiopia.

    You will need:

    4 cucharadasNiter Kibbeh (Mantequilla clarificada especiada Etíope. Reemplazable por Ghee o Mantequilla sin sal mezclada con cardamomo y canela)
    4
    Step 4

    Step 4

    The Arrival of the Volcanoes (Garlic, Ginger, and Berbere): Toss all the crushed garlic and ginger paste into the onion fat. Fry for a minute until the aroma wakes the neighbors. Then, bravely pour in the three heaping tablespoons of Berbere powder (Warning: you will sneeze and cough from the spice, ventilate the kitchen!). Toast the mixture heavily for 5 minutes. Add the splash of Wine (Tej or dry red) to deglaze any dark treasure stuck to the bottom.

    You will need:

    50 mlVino de miel Tej (o Vino tinto seco si no consigues Tej)3 a 4 cucharadas rebosantesBerbere (Fiery and complex Ethiopian spice blend - Essential)4 dientes de ajo y un pulgar de jengibreAjo fresco y Jengibre fresco (Ambos rallados hasta hacerlos pasta)
    5
    Step 5

    Step 5

    Submersion and Drowning of the Chicken: Wash the previously lemon-marinated chicken to remove excess citric acid, pat dry with paper. Hide it inside the dark, spicy, suffocatingly dense volcanic onion-and-spice magma at the bottom of the pot. Pour in about 100 ml of broth or water (very little). Cover the pot. This stew must simmer very slowly for 35-40 minutes. The chicken will release its juices and the dense purée will become a luxurious, glossy, very dark maroon sauce.

    You will need:

    800 gChicken thighs or drumsticks (bone-in or boneless)100 mlWater or chicken broth (Very little, just to prevent sticking)
    6
    Step 6

    Step 6

    Making Grooves for the Eggs: Boil the eggs in a separate pot until hard-boiled. Peel them under the tap. With a sharp knife, make three or four shallow longitudinal scores in the white egg whites, without ever penetrating the yolk. This technique allows the thick, red Doro Wat sauce to enter and stain the inside of the hard-boiled egg.

    You will need:

    4 unidadesChicken eggs (Hard-boiled and peeled)
    7
    Step 7

    Step 7

    The Sealing of the Wat: Uncover the stew pot. The sauce should look profoundly dark, and heavy red oil should be accumulating on the surface (a sign of a flawless dish). Bury the scored hard-boiled eggs in the maroon fire. Let it cook uncovered over a ridiculously slow heat for a final 10 minutes so everything thickens to the consistency of a heavy jelly.

    You will need:

    4 unidadesChicken eggs (Hard-boiled and peeled)50 mlVino de miel Tej (o Vino tinto seco si no consigues Tej)
    8
    Step 8

    Step 8

    The Ancestral Offering: Doro Wat is traditionally served in the center of the table, spectacularly poured over a massive base of Teff flatbread ('Injera') that serves as both plate and fork. If you don't use injera, pair it with any soft, slightly sour flatbread you can tear. It is eaten with the hands. If you aren't sweating from the pure heat and delight of the Berbere and ginger when you bite into it, it wasn't a worthy Doro Wat.

    Your culinary masterpiece is ready to enjoy!

    Share your version and surprise your guests with art and flavor.

    Celebración cómica y surrealista de Doro Wat (Authentic Spicy Ethiopian Chicken Stew), con ingredientes: Large red onions (The pillar. You need a mountain. Finely chopped), Niter Kibbeh (Spiced Ethiopian clarified butter. Replaceable by Ghee + cardamom/cinnamon), Berbere (Fiery and complex Ethiopian spice blend - Essential), Chicken thighs or drumsticks (bone-in or boneless), Fresh lemon juice (To wash and marinate the chicken).

    Composición final humorística de Doro Wat (Authentic Spicy Ethiopian Chicken Stew) con Large red onions (The pillar. You need a mountain. Finely chopped), Niter Kibbeh (Spiced Ethiopian clarified butter. Replaceable by Ghee + cardamom/cinnamon), Berbere (Fiery and complex Ethiopian spice blend - Essential), Chicken thighs or drumsticks (bone-in or boneless), Fresh lemon juice (To wash and marinate the chicken)
    Imagen final de la receta Doro Wat (Authentic Spicy Ethiopian Chicken Stew), ingredientes: Large red onions (The pillar. You need a mountain. Finely chopped), Niter Kibbeh (Spiced Ethiopian clarified butter. Replaceable by Ghee + cardamom/cinnamon), Berbere (Fiery and complex Ethiopian spice blend - Essential), Chicken thighs or drumsticks (bone-in or boneless), Fresh lemon juice (To wash and marinate the chicken)

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