Doro Wot

Description

Chicken stew. This is an Ethiopian recipe for a very hot (key words here are hot, toasty, spicy) sort of stew-like stuff. I am posting it in reference to recent discussion on injira, the spongey millet bread upon which wot is eaten. This recipe comes via my Mom who obtained it directly from a foreign student who used to live with us, who is an awesome cook, BTW. This is a chicken version, it can be made with other meats.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken — skinned and cut up
• 8 lbs onions — chopped fine
• 1 lb garlic — mashed
• ¼ lb ginger — mashed
• 1 lb butter
• salt — to taste
• pepper — to taste
• nutmeg or cumin — optional
• 1 hard-boiled egg — per person
• berbere (Ethiopian chili powder bere bere, Note: Mommy says nothing else will serve, although chili powder is the closest)

Procedures

1. Cook onion over low heat, not in any fat, for a long time, stirring constantly over very low heat until all the water is evaporated.
2. Continue stirring until onions are slightly brown.
3. Then add the butter; cook about 15 – 20 minutes still over low heat.
4. Add 1 tbsp hot water from time to time (texture should be kind of pasty).
5. Add bere bere. If it looks too dry, add hot water and stir.
6. Cook it about 30 – 45 minutes - keep stirring frequently.
7. Keep adding hot water if necessary.
8. Be careful not to let it brown, because chili powder will become bitter.
9. Add garlic and ginger and simmer 15 more minutes.
10. Add water as needed.
11. Meanwhile, with your other set of free hands, wash chicken pieces well, and let stand in salted in lemoned water.
12. Then squeeze each piece really hard to get out as much water as possible.
13. Then, make little slits in the meat so the sauce will penetrate.
14. Cook the meat in the sauce until meat is tender, about 30 minutes.
15. Stir from time to time. All this has been uncovered, by the way.
16. Add spices to taste just before removing from stove.
17. Add 1 hard-boiled egg per person, which have been slit (the eggs, not the people), and cook just long enough to heat through.
18. Serve with lots of bread (injera).
19. Freezes well.