Doro Wot is Ethiopia’s national dish– a deeply spiced, slow-cooked chicken stew with lots of onions and boiled eggs. Typically served with injera, the spongy sourdough flatbread traditional of Ethiopia.
Doro Wot isn’t everyday food. Traditionally, it’s reserved for holidays, weddings, festivities like Easter and Christmas, and major family gatherings. Because preparing it is labor-intensive, including chopping plenty of onions, toasting spices, and slow-simmering the sauce.
Preparing doro wot is seen as a labor of love, often cooked by family matriarchs.
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A Beginner’s Guide to Cooking Authentic Doro Wot at Home
Description
Doro Wot is Ethiopia’s national dish– a deeply spiced, slow-cooked chicken stew with lots of onions and boiled eggs. Typically served with injera, the spongy sourdough flatbread traditional of Ethiopia.
Background and Origin
Doro Wot’s origins are centuries old, believed to have developed alongside the cultivation of native spices and grains unique to Ethiopia. Its complexity reflects Ethiopia’s ancient spice trade routes and the country’s long-standing traditions of communal dining and hospitality.
In Ethiopia, where Orthodox Christianity is deeply rooted, Doro Wot is typically served after long fasting, like Lent. The rich, meaty, buttery dish marks the end of abstinence and the joy of feasting.
At its heart, Doro Wot features tender chicken simmered in a rich, fiery sauce made from:
- Onion, chopped and simmered until darkened.
- Berbere spice blend—a mixture of chili, garlic, ginger, fenugreek, and other spices
- A seasoned clarified butter that’s unique to Ethiopian cooking
- Hard-boiled eggs, added towards the end to soak up the sauce
- Fresh lemon juice to marinate the chicken
Ingredients
Instructions
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How to Prepare Ethiopian Doro Wot
- Wash the chicken, remove the skin, and cut it into 12 pieces. Use the knife to poke holes in the chicken pieces. In this step, the sauce marinates evenly in the chicken.
- Soak the chicken in cold water, and add the lemon juice. Set aside and allow to marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
- In a cooking pot, cook the chopped onions on low heat. Don’t add any oil or water. This will take about an hour. Slow cooking the onions releases their juice and flavor. Stir the onions occasionally so it doesn’t burn.
- Put the chopped garlic and ginger into a blender and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Blend them until smooth and set aside.
- Boil the eggs and add some salt to the water. Once boiled, drop them in cold water so the shell can come off easily. Poke some cuts in the eggs so the sauce can marinate them. Set aside.
- Check on the onion, which is now cooked and browned. Add some oil at this point. Scoop in two tablespoons of the garlic paste.
- Stir the sauce and add the berbere– a spice mix made up of chili, garlic, ginger, fenugreek, and other earthy spices. Add a little bit of water after 2 minutes, stirring the doro wot. Add a sprinkle of cardamon and the clarified butter.
- Rinse the lemon-marinated chicken with fresh water and drop it in the doro wot. Stir the sauce to ensure the chicken is covered in doro wot, cover the pot and cook for 40 minutes.
- After the chicken is cooked, add the boiled-poked eggs, sprinkle some salt to taste, and adjust the seasoning. Simmer for another 10 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- Serve the doro wot with injera.
Video credit-Munchies-YouTube
Note
Tips for Cooking Doro Wot
- Ensure to follow the onion steaming process to achieve the sweetness and earthy taste.
- You can use ghee if you don’t have clarified butter. However, always add just a little bit, about a tablespoon or less.
- Add water depending on how thick or watery you want your sauce.
- You can also serve doro wot with rice as desired.
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Doro Wot has become an ambassador for Ethiopian cuisine globally, served in Ethiopian restaurants around the world. It symbolizes not just a meal but Ethiopian culture: warmth, sharing, community, and pride in culinary heritage.
Happy cooking!
