Doro Wat (Ethiopian Chicken Preparation)

Dora-Wat With Barbare Powder

Dora-Wat without Barbare Powder

Dora is chicken in Amharic (Language of Ethiopia). Wat is basically gravy. So Doro wat means chicken with gravy. This chicken preparation is not for weight watchers and people with heart ailment as it has ample of Chilies and butter / oil. Doro wat is made in every house hold as poor it may be on any good occasions. Those who cannot afford sheep/goat/beef, slaughter chicken as offering and make Doro wat to celebrate the festive occasion. There are two type of Doro Wat one with Barbare powder other with out barbare powder. It is extremely tasty but very rich as it has lots of oil / butter. In Ethiopia it is eaten with Injera/Dabbo. Try it with Nan / Tandoori roti / Kulcha or Chapatti this combination is simply irresistible. I did not make Doro-Wat but got the recipe and the pictures when Alenenish my Ethiopian daughter was cooking it for me in her house.

Preparation Time: 15-20 min.

Cooking Time: 3 hours

Servings 8 Large servings

Ingredients Required For Making Doro Wat:

• 1 kg. Chicken

• 1 Kg. Onion

• 100 gm. Ginger

• 100 gm. Garlic

• 500+100 gm. butter ml oil/600 gm. butter

• 2-3 Teaspoons Khemam Powder (Garam masala)

• 200 gm. Barbare powder

• 2-3 Teaspoon Red Chili powder

• 30 ml. Juice of Fresh Lemons

• Salt to taste

Direction For Making Doro-Wat:

• Peel and cut onions long thin pieces.

• Wash chicken in fresh water.  Sprinkle 4-5 ml. lemon juice on the washed and drained chicken and rub the juice nicely on chicken pieces. Wash again in flowing water and drain.

• Repeat the washing process 2 times more to make sure chicken is not emitting foul odor.

• Drain the washed chicken nicely.

• In a thick bottom pan take chicken and cook on high flame. Water will come out of chicken. Cook with stirring till all water evaporates. Take care chicken pieces do not get burnt. (Do not add oil/butter) or any spices).

• Take onions and 200 ml. water in a thick bottom cooking vessel and cook on low flame the onions till soft. Bring the heat to high and dry all liquid left in the vessel along with the onions.

• Add to the boiled onions

• Oil / Butter

• Barbare powder

• Garlic paste

• Ginger paste

• Cook with constant stirring till all ingredients mix and make a uniform paste. Add 250 water in small portions (10-15 ml.) while cooking to make sure none of the ingredients get burnt. This paste is called Shankurt Makulalath.

• The above process will take 90-120 minutes.

• Add chicken to Shankurt Makulalath.

• Cook for 40-45 minutes on low flame with continuous stirring, keep adding 100-150- ml. water in every 10 minutes. (1-1 1/2lt.Water maximum)

• Add Khemam powder (Garam masala), salt, and 100 gm. butter.

• Mix and cook with stirring for 10 minutes.

• Cover and keep for 10-15 min. 

Doro-Wat

• Take out in a serving bowl. The red color of chicken with floating red oil / butter does not require any garnishing. 

Dora-Wat

• Serve with plain boiled rice/Dabbo/Injera/Nan/tandoori Roti/Lachcha parantha or simple roti.

Tips:

• Cooking of chicken in Shankurt Makulalath has to be done on low flame. No using pressure cooker please.

• The pieces for this chicken preparation should be big. Aleminish had cut one big chicken to only 15 big pieces. Because cooking is done on low heat for long time with stirring otherwise the flesh from bones from small pieces will fall apart.

• Oil/butter and Barbare powder are the high light of this chicken preparation thus do not reduce it but surely can increase it.

• Barbare powder gives red color and increases thickness or the gravy along with giving wonderful flavor to the chicken and the gravy, the amount can be increased to 300 gm. but not reduced than above told amount.

• Marination of chicken is not required.

• Do not add oil / butter while cooking the washed and drained chicken as it is meant to dry off all the water from the chicken.

Suggested Variations:

• Olive oil (500 ml.) can be taken as cooking medium and then 100 gm. butter can be added.

• Boiled whole (Not cut) eggs can be added along with salt, Khemam powder and cooked for 10 minutes.