Doro Wot (Ethiopian Spicy Chicken Stew)

“Doro” means chicken and “Wot” means stew. This is considered as Ethiopia’s national dish. It is a slow cooked onion gravy based chicken dish. Things that make this preparation unique is the typical spice blend called ‘Berbere’ and a spiced butter called ‘Niter Kibbeh’. Although these are not found in all Ethiopian dishes but are found in many and are the backbone of Ethiopian cuisine.

The best known Ethio-Eritrean cuisine consists of various vegetable or meat side dishes and entrées, usually a wot/wat, served atop injera, which is a large sourdough flatbread made of teff flour. One does not eat with utensils, but instead uses injera to scoop up the entrées and side dishes.

In my recipe, I used plain salted butter instead of spiced butter. Also, no turmeric powder, red chilli powder or tomatoes were used to bring out that rich colour. I can assure you it is as good as the traditional one. In general, awareness of African cuisine lags behind some of the more popular ones. I will try to bridge that gap to a certain extent by making and sharing more recipes from Africa.

Let’s learn more! And leave a comment about your favorite African dish or your favorite cuisine and what you like most about it!

Cuisine: African

Ingredients:

• Chicken- 2 lb/ 1 kg (cut & cleaned)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Lemon juice- 1+1 tablespoon (fresh)
• Onion- 2 to 3 medium sized (sliced)
• Canola oil- 1/4 cup
• Berbere spice– 2 tablespoon (make it at home/ you can buy readymade)
• Garlic- 2 tablespoon (paste/ minced)
• Ginger- 1 tablespoon (paste/ minced)
• Paprika- 1 teaspoon
• Butter- 3 tablespoon
• Dried basil-1 teaspoon
• Nigella seed powder- 1 teaspoon
• Eggs-6 (soft boiled)
• Hot Water- 2 to 3 cups

Berbere Spice -Ethiopian Chilli Spice Blend (Home made)

Mix all the spices together until well combined and store it in an airtight jar.

1. Paprika- 1/4 cup
2. Cayenne pepper- 1 tablespoon
3. Onion powder- 1 teaspoon
4. Garlic powder- 1 teaspoon
5. Ginger powder- 1 teaspoon
6. Cumin powder- 1 teaspoon
7. Coriander Powder – 1 teaspoon
8. Nutmeg ground-1/4 teaspoon
9. Allspice ground-1/4 teaspoon
10. Cinnamon ground-1/2 teaspoon
11. Cloves ground- 1/2 teaspoon
12. Cardamom ground- 1 teaspoon
13. Fenugreek powder- 1 teaspoon

Cooking Method:

1. Season the chicken with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, salt & pepper. Let it marinate for 30 min- 1 hour.
2. Heat a deep pan, add canola oil, saute onions till they are deep brown and aromatic.
3. Add butter, garlic, ginger, paprika, dried basil, nigella seed powder & berbere spice blend. Saute for 2-3 minutes as we need to cook the spices well.
4. Add the chicken pieces, more salt & pepper and lemon juice. Cook for 7-10 minutes in high heat letting the gravy release oil.
5. Pour boiling water and mix thoroughly.
6. Now cover the pan and simmer for 1.5 – 2 hours until the chicken is very tender.
7. Adjust the sauce thickness, add more water if needed and check the seasoning. Finally add the soft boiled eggs.
8. The rich & delicious “Doro Wot” is ready to be served.