African National Dishes Doro Wat
The first stop on this month’s culinary tour of Africa is Eithopia for no other reason than my intrigue with their National dish: Doro Wat. 
Doro Wat is a highly spiced chicken stew finished with hard boiled eggs. Incorporating sweet and savory spices, Eithiopian food is flavored with a distinctive spice blend Berbere. This fusion is the consequence of the spice trade routes of the past. I looked at a map to understand how this came about. It made perfect sense that to satisfy demand from the West for exotic and valuable spices grown in the East and India they were shipped across the Indian Ocean. They continued their journey up through the Red Sea, shortcutting the alternative route around the southern tip of the African sub continent, pausing in the then Ethiopian port of Anulis.
Hot pepper, fenugreek and cardamon are a few of the spices which make up this complex and potent blend. As a curry lover I’m always on the look out for interesting new combinations of spices and Berbere hits the mark. Although not recommended for a family dinner the rich and heady flavors of the Doro Wat featuring the surprise hard boiled egg element were extremely well received by my husband and me.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cooking Time LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken pieces
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp light olive oil
- 2 cups / 2 medium onions, diced small
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 3 tbsp Berbere spice mix
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 4 hard boiled eggs, shelled and halved
Add the chicken pieces to a bowl with the lemon juice and salt and set aside.
Heat the oil in a small skillet over a medium heat and add the onion, garlic and ginger. Soften for 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Add the onion mixture to the slow cooker.
Add the chicken pieces with the lemon and salt to the slow cooker.
Add the turmeric, Berbere, tomato paste and broth.
Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
Add the halved eggs to the dish cooked and serve with traditional Ethiopian Injera bread, flat breads or rice.
(recipe adapted from Chicken Stew (Doro Wat) the Cooking Channel)
Zen Moment
“Even just a few spices or ethnic condiments that you can keep in your pantry can turn your mundane dishes into a culinary masterpiece.”
