At Easter, people in Ethiopia often travel to their hometowns – they look forward to meeting their families – and to the “Doro Wot” feast.
When Ethiopians think of Easter, they also think of Doro Wot. "Doro" means "chicken," and "wot" means "stew" or "sauce." This sauce is made very spicy by berbere, a spice blend of chili pepper, ginger, garlic, cloves, coriander, and many other ingredients.
But there's another ingredient: love! For Ethiopians, Doro Wot symbolizes the joy of children and family. That's why even poor families try to cook this festive meal, even if it means spending a week's wages or more. Easter is the highlight of the year, and Doro Wot is the scent of home and home. Here's a typical recipe:
Recipe (for 7 people)
- 1 whole, cut-up chicken
- 1 kg. onions (approx. 5 pcs.)
- 2 cups Berbere (1 cup of 2 dl each)
(The spice Berbere is available in Ethiopian restaurants or online, for example here) - 1 tsp ground cardamom
(Cardamom is available in supermarkets) - 1 cup sunflower oil (2 dl)
- ½ cup finely chopped garlic and ginger (2:1 ratio)
- 2 poultry bouillon cubes
- 1 cup of water (2 dl)
- 150 grams of cooking butter (Indian ghee is excellent)
- 7 boiled eggs
- A little salt
Serving suggestion: With vegetables as a side dish
Preparation
- Simmer the finely chopped onions in oil and water for half an hour.
- Add berbere and simmer for another half hour.
- Meanwhile, cut the chicken into six to eight pieces. Make small cuts in the meat to allow the sauce to absorb.
- Add the chicken pieces and spices to the onion-berbere mixture and simmer for another 45 minutes.
- Add the eggs in the last ten minutes.
- Then serve and enjoy!
