Ethiopian Chicken Stew (Doro Wot)

A guest gifted me with some Berbere a few years ago and I began exploring Ethiopian foods.  When the Berbere ran out I began making my own- the recipe is below.

Serving Size  : 4    

  4           teaspoon  ghee
  2 1/2   teaspoon  minced ginger
  5           small  red onions — finely chopped
  5           cloves  garlic — minced
  3           Tablespoon  Ethiopian spice mix (called Berbere)
  1           plum tomato chopped
  3/4       teaspoon  ground cardamom
  8           chicken drumsticks Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper — to taste

  4 hard-boiled eggs

1)  Heat butter in a 6-quart saucepan over low heat.  Add ginger, onions, and garlic; cook, stirring, until soft, about 30 minutes.

2)  Add spice mixture and tomato; cook, stirring, until reduced and darkened, about 15 minutes.

3)  Add 4 cups of water, cardamom, and chicken, season with salt and pepper; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until chicken is done, about 1 hour. Transfer chicken to a plate; cook sauce until reduced, about 15 minutes. Add eggs and warm.

4)  Pour reduced sauce over chicken.

Berbere

Berbere, whose name means hot in Amharic, is a chile-spice blend that’s essential to many Ethiopian dishes, including Doro Wot and Misr Wot.

Makes about 3/4 cup

2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1⁄2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1⁄4 teaspoon whole allspice
6 white cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
1⁄2 cup dried onion flakes
5 dried chiles de árbol, stemmed, seeded, and broken into small pieces
3 Tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1)  In a small iron skillet, combine coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, black peppercorns, allspice, cardamom pods, and cloves. Toast spices over medium heat, swirling skillet constantly, until fragrant, about 4 minutes.

2)  Let cool slightly; transfer to a spice grinder along with onion flakes and grind until fine. Add chiles, and grind with the other spices until fine.

3)  Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in paprika, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.