Doro Wat (Ethiopian Spicy Chicken Stew) / rice and wheat

Doro Wat (Ethiopian Spicy Chicken Stew)

24 September 2010 | 78 Responses

Thanks to all of you and your voting prowess, we made it past round #1 of Project Food Blog! Yay! This is my entry for challenge #2: attempt a classic dish from an unfamiliar culture.

We had a tutor when we were growing up in Hong Kong. She used to come to our house on weeknights, maybe 3 times or so in a week, to help us with our homework. My sister and I referred to her as 姐姐, calling her “big sister” in Cantonese because in many ways, that’s who she was. She was in her 20s, studying at the university, and sure, she helped us with our homework, but she also played games with us and took us out on fun outings.

姐姐 was a gentle soul with a seemingly unending source of patience for dealing with two unruly girls who, while they may be good at math, were not so good at actually sitting down to do their math. Little hooligans that we were, we sometimes frustrated her so much that she broke down in tears, causing my grandmother to rush into the room to play referee. In my mind, though, what I remember most about 姐姐 is the time she taught me about the world.

You see, when I was little, Hong Kong seemed like an enormous place. Going from one end of the city to the other took hours and surely, no other place could be nearly that huge. I remember once asking 姐姐 to point out Hong Kong on a world map and she complied. When she touched her finger to the paper, I thought she was pointing at all of Asia and I felt vindicated, “See? I knew Hong Kong is huge!” Patiently, she explained that my city, this ginormous city in which I lived, is merely a teeny tiny dot on the map. And that China is a blob, albeit a rather large blob, within this even bigger blob called Asia. And this Asia? It’s merely one continent out of a grand total of seven. The world, in that single moment, became a much much bigger place than I could have possibly imagined.

Even after moving halfway across the world, I’m still astounded by the enormity of our world. But these days, my fascination has less to do with physical distances and blob sizes on maps and more to do with the more abstract notion of cultural distances. I will be the first to admit that I know next to nothing about a huge swath of the globe. If you, for example, asked me about Africa, all I would be able to tell you is what I’ve seen in movies and television documentaries and let’s face it, I will most likely offend every single person from Africa who comes upon this site.

So let’s not do that. Instead, let’s talk about food, that which easily bridges even the greatest of cultural divides. In the kitchen, the only trip I’ve made to the African continent is to Morocco via a fragrant vegetable tagine. But having recently tasted some incredible Ethiopian food in DC (the best in the country, I’m told), I’ve been itching to venture further into an unknown land. What better place to begin, then, than with doro wat, said to be the most popular traditional food in Ethiopia?

Doro wat is a spicy chicken stew made using a spice paste called berbere and a spiced clarified butter called niter kibbeh, which I like to think of as “ghee amplified.” It begins with a unique step of dry-frying onions in the absence of any fat to draw out moisture, which works to thicken the stew later on during cooking. Some recipes I found even call for the onions to be cooked without fat for hours, but that’s an experiment I’m saving for another day.

Who knows? Maybe one day, I will get myself to Ethiopia. But until then, at least I know I can inch just a little bit closer with this Doro Wat.

This recipe is the result of combining three I found online, at Pretty Peas, African Kitchen, and Congo Cookbook. All three are similar in their ingredients lists and differ mostly in the amounts, so I improvised. Because there’s nothing I hate more than overcooking eggs, I opted to soft-boil the eggs and omit adding them to the stew until serving. The more traditional way calls for hard-boiling the eggs first, then simmering them in the stew for the last 15 min of cooking. Do what you like.

Make the niter kibbeh the night before while you settle in for a movie or a television show – I guarantee you won’t regret it. But if you’re really doing this last minute, substituting an equivalent amount of butter should work.

For the spices, the measurements are generally for the ground versions, so if you are using whole spices, keep in mind that you’ll end up with less volume after grinding. I usually increase the amounts by 1.5- to 2-fold to adjust, depending on how chunky the whole spices are.

For the niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter):
½ lb unsalted butter
⅛ cup onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, peeled and minced
¼ tsp turmeric
2 cardamom pods, smashed
½ cinnamon stick
1 whole clove
pinch of nutmeg
⅛ tsp ground fenugreek
¼ tsp dried basil

For the berbere:
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground fenugreek
1 tsp ground cardamom (from the seeds, not the whole pods)
½ tsp ground coriander seeds
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
⅛ tsp ground clove
⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp paprika
4 dried red chilies, stems removed (I used 2 New Mexico chiles because they’re big)
2 Tbsp salt
4 cloves garlic
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled
1 small onion, chopped coarsely
½ cup water
4 Tbsp vegetable oil

And finally, for the doro wat:
2½-3 lb chicken pieces (I used a combination of thighs and drumsticks)
1 lemon
1½ tsp salt
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp ginger, peeled and minced
¼ cup niter kibbeh
⅓ cup berbere (use a little less if you are sensitive to spice)
¼ tsp ground fenugreek
¼ tsp ground cardamom
2 Tbsp paprika
¼ cup red wine
¾ cup water
4 eggs, boiled (see headnote)

Make the niter kibbeh (the night before): In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Bring it to a gentle boil, until the top is foamy. Add in all the other ingredients and reduce heat to the lowest possible setting – the butter should just barely bubble. Simmer gently on low heat, uncovered, for about an hour. Check that all the milk solids have clumped to the bottom and started to turn brown. Remove from heat and strain through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve into a heat-resistant jar. Discard spices and milk solids. Cover tightly and store in the fridge. The spiced butter will keep for about 2 months in the fridge.

Marinate the chicken: Mix the chicken pieces with the juice of one lemon and the salt. Cover with plastic and put in the fridge for 30 min to an hour.

Make the berbere (while the chicken is marinating): In a dry pan over medium-low heat, toast all the spices (everything above and including paprika in the list) until fragrant. Set aside. (If you’re using whole spices, you can toast them before grinding.) In the same pan, toast the chiles. Put the onions, garlic, ginger, and toasted chiles in the bowl of a food processor with the 1/2 cup of water. Puree. Add in spices, salt, and oil and puree again until well-mixed. Pour the whole mixture into a saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 10 min until thick. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, with a thin film of oil on top.

Make the stew: Heat a heavy-bottom pot or Dutch oven large enough to hold all the ingredients over medium heat. Saute the onions (dry! no oil!) for about 5-10 min, stirring constantly to prevent browning. You want the onions only to soften and not caramelize, so be prepared to watch the pot like a hawk during this step. Once the onions are softened, stir in niter kibbeh until the onions are coated. Add garlic and ginger and stir until well-mixed.

Add in berbere, fenugreek, cardamom, and paprika. Saute for another 5 min.

Add in red wine and water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer, uncovered, for 5 min.

Add chicken and stir to coat. Bring back to a boil, cover, and simmer for another 30-45 min, until the chicken is cooked all the way through and very tender. Because I like a thicker stew, I prefer to simmer without a cover for the last 20-30 min. If you like a soupier stew, keep the cover on.

Taste the stew and add salt if needed. Serve over rice, couscous, or to be extraordinarily traditional, injera (a crepe-like bread made with teff flour that I have yet to master).

—
Yield: about 6 servings
Time: ~30 min prep + 2-3 hrs for simmering/marinating

38 Comments

24 September 2010 at 8:48 pm

That looks AMAZING! I’m rooting on the sidelines for pfb2010 now, but you have my support. I love ethiopian cuisine. I have to try this! Good luck!
- 24 September 2010 at 9:18 pm
  
  Thanks so much Kimmy! I have to admit I haven’t had much Ethiopian food myself but when I had this dish in DC, I immediately fell in love. On another note, I love that PFB has introduced me to so many awesome bloggers – how fun!
24 September 2010 at 10:44 pm

Whoa! certainly exotic and far out of the comfort zone but looks delicious none the less.
- 27 September 2010 at 7:37 am
  
  Thanks for reading, Wizzy! You know what’s really exotic? Marmee apple – I have never heard of them until I read your post. Super excited to have found your blog and can’t wait to read more about life in the Caribbean!
25 September 2010 at 6:49 pm

Good luck with the competition! This is such a delicious sounding dish, full of flavour!
- 27 September 2010 at 7:39 am
  
  Thanks for visiting Maria! I’ve never been to Finland or Australia so I can’t wait to read more about both places (and the food, of course) on your blog.
  
  By the way, how did you find me? :)
25 September 2010 at 7:09 pm

This looks so, so good. Filing this one away for a cold day when we’re in the mood for a stew, and I’m going to keep this in mind to try at the Ethiopian place down the street from me.
- 27 September 2010 at 7:41 am
  
  Thanks Elizabeth! You should definitely give this a try – I bet the Fairway has all the ingredients you need. ;) Let me know how it turns out!
26 September 2010 at 11:29 pm

Look out, Marcus Samuelsson! This sounds totally up my alley. Thanks for posting this; I’ve been curious about this dish. We should get together and try to make the injera, huh?
- 27 September 2010 at 7:43 am
  
  Thanks Ben! I thought about mentioning how I also like the way Marcus Samuelsson says the word “berbere” but then I realize it sounds creepy and too fangirl-ish. I still can’t get the injera the way I want – mine still comes out too crisp and crepe-y, instead of the soft, moist, pillowy goodness I like. So yes, we should try to make this together, maybe with real teff flour next time. Bob’s Red Mill sells teff, apparently. Go Bob!
27 September 2010 at 4:43 am

I absolutely love Ethiopian food, and I agree with those who told you that DC has the best in the U.S. Thanks for experimenting with and sharing this recipe; I love this dish and look forward to making it one weekend. Going to vote for you now!
- 27 September 2010 at 7:47 am
  
  Thanks for reading and voting, Stephanie! No kidding, DC has the best Ethiopian food – it’s not even fair to try to compare our SF ones against them. :) Let me know when you make this and how it turns out. Super excited to learn more about local food from your blog too – thanks for finding me!
27 September 2010 at 3:58 pm

Love the photographs! Love the blue bowl of spices. And love the label on your niter kibbeh… it’s something people don’t do (myself included, sometimes!) I have never had Ethiopian food but your stew just looks so good… I’m drooling! I’d have to try this out sometime soon. Great post!
- 27 September 2010 at 6:25 pm
  
  Thanks Jun! Actually, don’t tell my boss, but I took that roll of lab tape home because I love to use it to label stuff in my kitchen. Shh! Definitely save this recipe for a chilly day — it’ll warm you right up!
27 September 2010 at 5:01 pm

Wow–the flavors are popping out of my screen! I love Ethiopian food and yours looks divine. Beautiful photos and I loved reading your story. Easy vote for you :)
- 27 September 2010 at 6:27 pm
  
  Thanks Sarah! Your mole looks absolutely delicious too and also, I love the phrase “foray into mole”. Good luck in PFB!
27 September 2010 at 5:26 pm

I love Ethiopian food. In fact 2 weeks ago, I just posted two Ethiopian series, one is about food and culture and another one is a bout Ethiopian coffee ceremony.
- 27 September 2010 at 6:29 pm
  
  Thanks for visiting, Pepy! And great mind must think alike, right? Since we both thought of Ethiopian around the same time. :) Your post about the coffee ceremony is so interesting – thanks for sharing!
27 September 2010 at 6:30 pm

@junbelen @angi Haha I TOTALLY use VWR markers, tough spots, cryo-babies, TZ-241 tape, etc to label. It’s just too practical not to!
- 27 September 2010 at 6:33 pm
  
  Hehe… glad to hear I’m not the only one! ;)
27 September 2010 at 7:18 pm

Love your childhood story, and I too thought HK was a huge place until I moved to the U.S. Your stew looks amazing, and love that it has all the spices. Great post and you got my vote. Good luck!
- 27 September 2010 at 9:25 pm
  
  Thanks Margaret! I’m voting for you too because I love your post on samosas. You know what, I had no idea until recently that HK has such a big Indian population and now, I think about all the awesome Indian food I missed out on when I was there! Your parents sound super cool to take you to try Indian food when you were young. ^_^
27 September 2010 at 7:31 pm

Hey, Pretty Peas–that’s me! Yay! :D Is it bad that this is the most exciting part of my week? …. ;)

That looks so beautiful and delicious. Great job!
- 27 September 2010 at 9:26 pm
  
  Thanks Heather/Pretty Peas! The Stevens Point cake you have on your blog right now looks so gorgeous, almost, like you said, like a Jackson Pollack painting. Except much tastier than one, of course!
27 September 2010 at 7:45 pm

I made this too. I loved it! Your pictures are so much prettier than mine, though. :)
- 27 September 2010 at 9:31 pm
  
  Thanks Mariko! I love that you also made Doro Wat – does that make us partners in culinary crime?
27 September 2010 at 8:01 pm

I have actually never had Ethiopian food, but this looks really delicious! You have my vote! Best of luck to you!
- 27 September 2010 at 9:37 pm
  
  Thanks Amy!
27 September 2010 at 8:52 pm

Wow, that looks so yummy! I would never have thought to even try cooking ethiopian cuisine. There are a few places in SF and LA to try Ethiopian/Eritrean food, but to cook it?! I wouldn’t even know where to begin.

Good luck on the FoodBuzz contest!
- 27 September 2010 at 9:45 pm
  
  Thanks Suki! I’m always looking for another country to “travel” to, so this PFB challenge was the perfect excuse to make the trip to Ethiopia. I actually haven’t had much Ethiopian food in SF — any recommendations?
27 September 2010 at 10:04 pm

Well done–the writing and the food. I originally intended to make some type of African stew and ended up with something else. This kind of chicken stew is perfect comfort to me. I felt good reading your post and even better staring at your pictures. Very nice. :-)
- 28 September 2010 at 12:09 am
  
  Thanks Jean, such a sweet comment from an awesome photographer like you means a lot to me! Also, it looks like many people had the same idea of making an African stew, so you’re smart to go elsewhere. :)
27 September 2010 at 11:03 pm

That looks delicious! Love how spicy it looks – I voted for you! :D
- 28 September 2010 at 12:12 am
  
  Thanks Biz! Wow, did you really make three dishes for this challenge?? Hardcore!
28 September 2010 at 1:29 am

This definitely looks amazing and I love the back story also! Good luck!
- 28 September 2010 at 5:15 pm
  
  Thanks Peggy!
28 September 2010 at 2:51 am

Nice entry. I’m voting. Good luck!
- 28 September 2010 at 5:18 pm
  
  Thank Joan!

One Trackback

By rice and wheat on 27 September 2010 at 10:49 pm

[…] you like what I wrote about Doro Wat, a ridiculously flavorful and beautifully red Ethiopian chicken stew? If so, then maybe you want to […]

Doro Wat (Ethiopian Spicy Chicken Stew)

38 Comments

One Trackback

We love comments! Cancel reply