Doro Wat

• juice of one lemon
• two teaspoons salt
• one chicken (about 3 pounds), cleaned and cut into serving-size pieces -- some cooked remove skin and score or pierce the meat with a knife to facilitate marinating
• two (or more) onions, finely chopped
• four tablespoons niter kebbeh (or butter)
• four cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
• one piece fresh ginger root -- cleaned, scraped, and chopped (about a teaspoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon berberé -- or -- 1 - 2 tablespoons of a combination of cayenne pepper and paprika (if berberé and niter kebbeh are not used)
• 1 small tomato, chopped or a few tablespoons tomato paste or tomato sauce (optional)
• 1 cup chicken stock, water, or dry red wine
• hard-boiled eggs (1 per person), pierced with a toothpick or the tine of a long fork.

• In a glass bowl, combine the lemon juice (some cooks use lime juice), half the salt, and chicken pieces. Let chicken marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Cook the onions over medium heat for a few minutes in a dry (no oil) pot or dutch oven large enough to eventually hold all of the ingredients. Stir constantly to prevent them from browning or burning; reduce heat or remove the pot from the heat if necessary. (Some cooks add the niter kebbeh at the start, but dry-cooking the onions for a few minutes gives the dish a distinctive flavor. )
• Add the niter kebbeh or butter to the onions, along with the garlic, ginger, fenugreek, cardamom, nutmeg, remaining salt, berberé (or cayenne pepper and paprika), and tomato. Stir and simmer for a few minutes. The onions should be soft, tender, and translucent, but not browned.
• Add the chicken stock, water, or dry red wine. Bring the mixture to a low boil while stirring gently. Cook for a few minutes, then reduce heat.
• Add the chicken pieces, making sure to cover them with the sauce. Cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes — or until the chicken is done — turning the chicken a few times.
• After the chicken has been cooking for 20 minutes, gently add the hard-boiled eggs and ladle sauce over them.
• Serve hot. The only traditional way to serve doro wat is with a spongy flat bread called injera, which can only be properly made with difficult-to-obtain teff flour. While it's not the way Ethiopians would serve it, doro wat is very good with Couscous, Rice, or Middle-Eastern or Indian style flat bread.

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• Chicken legs and thighs, skinless -- 2 pounds
• Lemon, juice only -- 1
• Salt -- 2 teaspoons
• Onions, chopped -- 2
• Garlic, crushed -- 3 cloves
• Gingerroot, peeled and chopped -- 1 tablespoon
• Oil, butter or niter kibbeh -- 1/4 cup
• Paprika -- 2 tablespoons
• Berberé paste -- 1/4-1/2 cup
• Water or stock -- 3/4 cup
• Red wine -- 1/4 cup
• Cayenne pepper -- from 1/2 to 2 teaspoons
• Salt and pepper -- to taste
• Hard-boiled eggs (optional) -- 4

1. Mix together the chicken pieces, lemon juice and salt and in a large, non-reactive bowl and set aside to marinate for about 30 minutes.
2. While the chicken is marinating, puree the onions, garlic and ginger in a food processor or blender. Add a little water if necessary.
3. Heat the oil, butter or niter kibbeh in a large pot over medium flame. Add the paprika and stir in to color the oil and cook the spice through, about 1 minute. Do not burn. Stir in the berberé paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the onion-garlic-ginger puree and sauté until most of the moisture evaporates and the onion cooks down and loses its raw aroma, about 5-10 minutes. Do not allow the mixture to burn.
5. Pour in the water or stock and wine and stir in the chicken pieces, cayenne to taste, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Add water as necessary to maintain a sauce-like consistency.
6. Add the whole hard boiled eggs and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and very tender.
7. Adjust seasoning and serve hot with injera bread or rice.

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2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
2 onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup Niter Kebbeh (Spiced Butter)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger root
1/4 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup Red Pepper Paste (aka Spice Paste, Berbere)
2 tablespoons paprika
1/4 cup dry red wine
3/4 cup water
4 hard-boiled eggs
Freshly ground black pepper

Rinse and dry the chicken pieces. Rub them with lemon juice and salt. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In a heavy enamel stewpot, cook the onions over moderate heat for about 5 minutes. Do not let brown or burn. Stir in the niter kebbeh. Then add the garlic and spices. Stir well. Add the berbere and paprika, and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Pour in the wine and water and bring to a boil. Cook briskly, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.

Pat the chicken dry and drop it into the simmering sauce, turning the pieces about until coated on all sides. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, piece the hard-boiled eggs with the tines of a fork, piercing approximately 1/4" into the egg all over the surface. After the chicken has cooked, add the eggs and turn them gently in the sauce. Cover and cook the doro wat for 15 more minutes. Add pepper to taste.