Doro Wat (Ethiopian Chicken Stew)

Method

Doro wat is the national dish of Ethiopia, and everything about it rests on the onion base — the single most important technique a home cook learning this food can master. Peel and finely dice the onions; you want a lot of them, and you want them cut small and even. Traditionally the chicken is rubbed with lemon and salt and left for half an hour first, which firms the flesh and cleans it; do this now while you begin the base.

Put the diced onions in a heavy, dry pan over a moderate heat with no oil at all. This feels wrong the first time you do it, but it is correct. Stir them regularly and let them release their moisture, then slowly cook down over thirty to forty minutes until they collapse into a thick, dark, concentrated paste. There is no shortcut and no substitute for the patience — this dry caramelisation builds a depth that stock alone can never give. Only once the onions are jammy and reduced do you add the niter kibbeh, the crushed garlic, and grated ginger, cooking them into the base for a few minutes.

Now stir in the berbere and the tomato purée and let the spice cook in the fat for a minute or two — this blooms the chilli-forward blend and takes the raw edge off it. Berbere is not merely heat; it is the whole flavour foundation of ethiopian-cuisine|the wat, so taste your blend first, because a dull or stale one will produce a flat dish. Add the chicken pieces and turn them to coat completely in the dark red base. Pour in just enough water to come halfway up the meat.

Bring to the gentlest possible simmer, cover, and cook for forty-five minutes to an hour, turning the chicken occasionally, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick and glossy and clings to it. A rolling boil breaks the texture and thins the sauce, so keep the heat low throughout. Meanwhile hard-boil the eggs, peel them, and prick each a few times with a fork so they take on colour and flavour; add them to the pot for the last ten minutes. Serve doro wat on injera, with the spiced eggs nestled in the sauce, and more injera alongside to tear and scoop. It is celebration food, and it tastes of the time you gave it.