Wot is the main course for the Ethopian New Year, usually made with lamb or chicken. Today I offer Doro Wat (“doro” means chicken, “wat or “wot” means stew). PRONOUNCE IT: Doro (rhymes with Zorro) and wet, like the rain. Enjoy with our Homemade Injera recipe (whose sour flavor is fantastic with doro wat)… or serve with rice for an easy, non-traditional option.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4-6 people | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 1 1/2 hours |
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Wot is the main course for the Ethopian New Year, usually made with lamb or chicken. Today I offer Doro Wat (“doro” means chicken, “wat or “wot” means stew). PRONOUNCE IT: Doro (rhymes with Zorro) and wet, like the rain. Enjoy with our Homemade Injera recipe (whose sour flavor is fantastic with doro wat)… or serve with rice for an easy, non-traditional option.
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Ingredients
- 4 red onions , sliced
- 3-4 cloves garlic , crushed
- 2 tsp ginger root (freshly grated)
- 1/2 cup ghee – OR –
- clarified butter
- 1/2 cup berberé
- 1-2 cups water , as needed
- 2-2.25 lbs whole chicken legs , cut into small pieces
- 1 Tbsp salt , or to taste
Finishing:
- 4-6 eggs , hard-boiled
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 lemon
- plain yogurt , as desired
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
- Peel and cut the onions in 1-inch hunks. Toss into the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Scrape once or twice if needed. Alternatively cut them by hand.
- Cook onions in a dry pot over high heat until they start to stick to the pan. This stage should take 20-30 minutes.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook another 10-15 min until brown. Gradually reduce the heat as necessary to prevent burning.
- Cook 5 minutes, until the spices bloom in the ghee. It will look like dark chocolate.
- Finally, add the water and chicken. Cover tightly and simmer gently until tender (a good 45 minutes). Thin with a little water if necessary and stir occasionally to prevent sticking. I used about 1 1/2 cups water total.
- While the Wat cooks, hardboil the eggs. Cut decorative wedges in the egg if desired.
- Finish the wat off with a sprinkle of cardamom and half the lemon, juiced. Cut the remaining lemon in wedges and serve on the side. A few spoonfuls of plain yogurt makes for a nice, cooling accompaniment to the spicy stew. This is one of those messy foods that tastes as good as it doesn’t look. There’s spice, yes, but there’s also complexity from the sweet onion, and richness from the ghee. Enjoy with your hands!
Recipe Notes
A real wat uses about a 1/2 cup of berberé, the traditional East African spice blend of chili powder, fenugreek, ginger, cinnamon, and more. The blend is incredibly flavorful and HOT. The dish is nicely balanced, thanks to the brightness of fresh lemon juice and/or yogurt. Feel free to modify the recipe as you’d like – but if you can handle some heat, I’d recommend leaving the recipe as-is!