brick red bowls … Spicy Ethiopian Chicken Stew (Doro Wat)

During this little project I’ve been doing for the last few weeks, exploring the foods of recently maligned cultures, I’ve become a bit fascinated with the layered Moroccan meat pie called b’stilla. It was one of the first things I thought of when I started this exploration. This isn’t that post. I did buy all the stuff to make a b’stilla but I just wasn’t feeling it. My first attempt was underwhelming and I really didn’t feel like making it again right now. Instead, struggling with some horrendous jet lag that has me turned all upside-down, I wanted something spicy, something comforting, something saucy. I wanted a project; one that would eat up some time since I seem to be awake at all kinds of weirdo hours and provide my addled brain something to focus on. I wanted doro wat. Luckily, I had everything on hand, including all the spices so I dove in, taking most of my Moroccan ingredients and turning them into a spicy Ethiopian chicken stew instead.

When I first moved to Chicago, I lived within spitting distance of three separate Ethiopian restaurants. Exploring the menus was great fun, as I had no idea what was what, and quickly discovered that not only did I love nearly everything, that spicy chicken stew called doro wat kept bringing me back. Sopping up the sauce with that strange, spongy, sour crepe-like bread called inerja was a completely new experience and one that I frequently I craved. It’s been a while since those days and the restaurants have all closed or moved, lost to development and rising rent costs, but I could bring a little of that back into my kitchen. It’s cold and I can’t sleep – what better to watch endless hours of Olympic coverage with than a steamy bowl of doro wat and some inerja.

Having eaten this dish many times but never made it myself, I did some research online. It’s complicated, man. Lot’s of steps and spices you might not have on hand. There were plenty of shortcut versions but in the end I went the long route and cobbled this recipe together from a few sources. I decided to make my own berbere spice blend, a key part of this and many Ethiopian recipes, since I didn’t feel like losing my perfectly shoveled parking space to run to the spice shop to buy their mixture (there’s a special place in hell for people that don’t shovel btw). I had all the stuff on hand anyway, why not?

This one is definitely a project – there’s a spiced butter, the berbere (though you can buy it too) and then the stew, which simmers for a while. And you should make the inerja too though any soft flatbread would work to sop up the delicious sauce. It’s probably not traditional but I bet those 1,000 hole crepes (baghrir) I made a few weeks back would be delicious here. For the inerja I used a recipe from Chef Marcus Samuelson that’s a bit of a cheater, using yogurt and club soda to sort of fake the flavors of a long fermentation but it’s quick and it’s easy and though it was just ok, it fit the bill for a weeknight dinner (if you use this recipe, thin it A LOT to make more of a crepe-like batter). If you really want to do it up, I suppose you should make some greens, and maybe some lentils (misr wat) too. Because if you’ve already made the spiced butter and have the berbere spice for this recipe, it’s just a few extra steps to make those too. So why not go all in at this point?

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: SPICY COMFORT. This one has everything right – not too spicy, just enough to warm through, and hearty enough to be filling but not overly so. It’s the most beautiful shade of brick red too. I’ve realized my memories of this sauce have become fuzzed by time; it’s far prettier than I remember. I also don’t remember the eggs but I’m pretty sure I avoided them in the Ethiopian buffets of my past which is a shame because their mild creaminess is perfectly offset by the sauce. I also seem to remember the sauce as being smooth but the meltingly soft bits of onion didn’t bother me in the least. One overtired, jet lagged afternoon, I made the whole spread – this stew, the inerja bread, spiced lentils and greens – and sat down to a wonderful early dinner. It was exactly what my weary soul needed. Thank you Ethiopia.

other dishes from this series: Moroccan Baghrir, (1,000 Hole Crepes), Nigerian Jollof Rice, Haitian Beef Patties, Senegalese Peanut & Chicken Stew, Ethiopian Collard Greens, Poulet Creole, West African Puff Puffs (fried dough)
nine years ago: Khachpuri (cheesy Georgian bread)
eight years ago: Fancy Valentine’s Day Cookies, Won Ton Soup, Blood Orange Marmalade, Paczki Day
seven years ago: Chocolate Churros, Dark Chocolate Tart, Chocolate Ganache Tart
six years ago: Chocolate Dulce de Leche Swirl Ice Cream, St. John Dark Chocolate Ice Cream
five years ago: Peppermint Patty Brownies, Chocolate Raspberry Tart, Chocolate Snack Cake
four years ago: Dulce de Leche Fondue, Chocolate Linzer Cookies
three years ago: Flourless Chocolate Cookies, Chocolate Crème Filled Cupcakes 
two years ago: Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies, Orange Chocolate Angel Food Cake with Candied Clementines, Mexican Chocolate Poundcake, Chocolate Mint Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches
last year: Dark Chocolate Marshmallows, Chocolate Cardamom Shortbread Hearts, Dark Chocolate Pudding

DORO WAT – SPICY ETHIOPIAN CHICKEN STEW– parts of the recipe were adapted from this one
serves 4-6
Most recipes add the chicken without any pre-browning or just just skinless thighs, however, I like to render some fat out of the chicken skin and crisp it up first. I’m not generally a fan of flabby skin in a braised dish but that’s my preference.

for the niter kibbeh (spiced butter):
½ pound unsalted butter
1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
½ teaspoon whole allspice berries
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (or ¼ teaspoon ground)
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
½ small yellow onion, chopped

for the berbere (spice mix): makes about 6 Tablespoons
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (or ¼ teaspoon ground)
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
3 cardamom pods
2 whole allspice berries
¼ cup dried onion flakes
3 chiles de árbol, stemmed and seeded
1 ½ Tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cayenne
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

for the stew:
8 bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup niter kibbeh (spiced butter), divided
¼ cup berbere (spice mix)
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 large yellow onions, finely diced (about 1 pound)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth

Injera or soft bread, for serving (I used this recipe and it was just ok)

1. For the niter kibbeh (spiced butter): Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, swirling occasionally.
2. Stir in the ginger, allspice, fenugreek, oregano, turmeric, cardamom, garlic and onions and bring to a simmer.
3. Simmer on low for 30 minutes. Watch carefully – do not allow to brown.
4. For the berbere (spice mix): In a small skillet, combine the coriander, fenugreek (if using seeds), black peppercorns, cardamom and allspice over medium heat.
5. Swirling the skillet, toast until fragrant, 4 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and allow the seeds to fully cool, then place in a spice grinder or mortar with the dried onion flakes and chiles de árbol, and grind to a fine powder.
7. Transfer the powder to a bowl and whisk in the remaining ingredients until fully incorporated.
8. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.
9. To finish the niter kibbeh: Line a strainer with several layers of dampened cheesecloth.
10. Skim the foam from the top of the butter and discard.
11. Ladle the butter through the strainer, leaving behind the milk solids on the bottom of the pan is possible. I found that it was difficult to decipher the milk solids from the onions/spices and trusted the cheesecloth to do the work here. Can be stored, refrigerated, for up to 1 month.
12. For the stew: Put the chicken in a nonreactive bowl and toss with the lemon juice and salt.
13. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
14.  Place about 1 Tablespoon of the niter kibbeh in a heavy bottomed pan and heat over medium to medium-high until hot.
15. Place the chicken, skin side down, in a single layer and cook until well browned. Do in batches if you must. (Note: only brown the skin side.)
16. Remove and place in a bowl; continue with the remaining chicken if doing batches.
17. Once browned, place in the bowl and pour any remaining fat into the bowl too. Set aside until needed.
18. Lower the heat to medium and dry sauté the onions, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as you go.
19. Cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 10 minutes, taking care not to burn. Reduce the heat as needed to prevent burning.
20. Increase the heat to medium high; add the remaining niter kibbeh, berbere, garlic, ginger, tomato paste and black pepper, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
21. Add chicken stock and stir to combine, then add the chicken and all the accumulated juices, turning to coat in the sauce.
22. Turn the chicken skin side up, bring the mixture to a boil then lower the heat to low.
23. Cover and cook at a gentle simmer until the chicken is very tender, about 40 minutes.
24. Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced and the sauce is very thick, about 45 minutes, occasionally spooning the sauce over the chicken.
25. For the eggs: meanwhile, place the eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with water.
26. Bring to a boil and cook for 9 minutes.
27. Immediately drain and run cold water over the eggs until cool enough to handle.
28. Tap gently to crack the shells and peel. Set aside; do not refrigerate or they will not warm up in the sauce. Just before adding to the stew, cut in half (or leave whole, if desired.)
29. Remove the pan with the chicken from the heat and add the eggs, turning to coat them in the sauce.
30. Cover the pan and let rest for 5 minutes.
31. To serve, place the chicken thighs and eggs on injera or serving plates, and spoon the sauce over.

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