I tried this favorite Ethiopian Recipe called DORO WAT

)I am not completely sure where it emanates from but two countries spring to mind when you talk about this recipe called DORO WAT. Wat, We̠t’, wot or Tsebhi is an Ethiopian and Eritrean stew or curry that may be prepared with Lamb, Chicken, or Beef.

Although I am of Nigerian origin my love from food all over the world is very much evident in the way I cook. I randomly look up recipes from different countries and cook them as I wish. Yesterday, my culinary adventures took me to the countries of Ethiopia and Eritrea. I looked up the recipe for this spicy dish know in Ethiopia as "DORO WAT" and in Eritrea as "ZIGNI".

So how does one cook up this recipe? Its quite straightfoward to be honest. The key to authentic, great-tasting Doro Wat is in good quality spice called "BERBERE", and a very long cooking process. It can take several hours for an Ethiopian to make Doro Wat, but you can cut back on the cooking time and your Doro Wat will still taste good. The key thing is how you slow-cook the onions that make the bulk of this recipe.

So Let's get started with a step-by-step RECIPE for DORO WAT/ZIGNI

INGREDIENTS:

• Skinless chicken
• 2 large red onions (Finely chopped)
• 2 Table Spoons berbere (Ethiopian Spice mixture)
• Butter
• Fresh Garlic and Ginger (Finely chopped)
• 4 peeled hard-boiled Eggs
• Salt

STEP 1: Use a food processor to very finely mince the onion. Make sure that achieve a consistent chunky puree.

STEP 2: Heat 100ml of oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a wok pan and saute the onion, covered, over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can add more butter or oil if it gets too dry.

STEP 3: Mince (Finely) your Garlic and Ginger.

STEP 4: Go ahead and add the finely chopped Garlic and Ginger, and 1 tablespoon of butter. Continue to saute, covered, over low heat for another 20 minutes, make sure that you are stirring occasionally ( THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!).

STEP 5: Add 2 Tablespoons of BERBERE and 2 Teaspoon of Salt. Stir it all in to achieve a rich red colour.

STEP 5: You can now add Chicken and Eggs to the mixture

STEP 6: At this point its important to reduce the heat of your cooker to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. This step allows the chicken to cook and all the spices to integrate.

And there you have it, DORO WAT or ZIGINI is done and be served with either bread or rice.

PS: My Ethiopian friends suggested that I try this with "INJERA BREAD" (This is an Ethiopian kind of bread made out Teff Flour). It was impossible to get Injera bread in the part of London that I live so I served mine with plain BASMATI RICE. And Oh Boy! It was Delicious! 😋😋😋