It’s a little different from most of the recipes out there. But stick with me. It will turn out. It’s a lot like cooking Indian. Same basic principles apply. So I’ve applied Indian technique to make this version. How I would make it if I were running an Ethiopian restaurant.
Berbere is the backbone of doro wat
Berbere is finally getting the recognition it deserves. I see it in specialty stores. Sometimes it even shows up in grocery stores. I can get it at a local Ethiopian bakery for next to nothing. So I don’t bother making it. If you have an Ethiopian bakery where you live ask them for their berbere while you are picking up some injera bread to go with your doro wat. If you’re not familiar with berbere it’s an Ethiopian spice mix. Think Indian masala but with an Ethiopian twist. It’s not that different either. A lot of common spices. Not all the spices are the same though. And I think that’s what makes it special. I love it. I’ve been using it for years. In a lot of places. It’s great in doro wat. Lots of Ethiopian dishes in fact. It makes a great dry rub for grilled chicken. A little peanut butter and some berbere is fantastic in a chickpea curry. A great seasoning for dal. Versatile stuff. Watch out for pseudo-berbere. It should not be mostly salt. It should be African chilies and spices. Look at the bowl of spice in the pictures. If it doesn’t look like that you aren’t likely to wind up somewhere good…
Injera bread works really well
On it’s own injera is seriously sour sourdough flat bread. The texture is unique. Like eating a sour sponge. Not as bad as I’m making it sound. But it’s a bit of an acquired taste. Until you mix it with Ethiopian food. Then it just works. Somehow. That sour tang comes together with the berbere. Makes something wonderful. I don’t understand it. But I like it. And it has a million years of culinary evolution behind it. OK – maybe not a million. But it’s been figured out. Try it. You’ll see.
A little Indian restaurant technique
This is a slightly unconventional approach to doro wat. People that jump straight to the recipe will be scratching their heads. Stop and think about it. Doro wat starts with browning lots of onions. Just like Indian. There’s garlic and ginger. Just like Indian. And spices to bring it together. Just like Indian. So why not make it like Indian? Like an Indian restaurant in fact? Indian restaurants have been using something called curry base to cook to order forever. Look around this blog. Lots of Indian restaurant recipes here. That’s what this recipe is about. A simplified curry base. Some Indian restaurant mojo. And Ethiopian flavours. Pre-cook and puree the onions. Hit them with a blast of heat. Instant Maillard reaction. No need to brown the onions forever. Just like an Indian restaurant. Bloom the spices in some ghee. Get the most out of the spices. Easy. And delicious.
Simplified niter kibbeh makes this doro wat easy
How’s that for a sentence full of words you’ve never heard?Niter kibbeh is a secret weapon in the Ethiopian culinary arsenal. It’s clarified butter jacked up with all kinds of flavour. Onion. Garlic. Spices. And stuff you’ve never heard of. It’s really good. And it’s a pain to make. You wind up with lots of it. If you’re going deep into Ethiopian cooking it’s worth trying. But if you just want to make doro wat today it’s overkill. This is the easier way. Ghee is clarified butter. If you cook Indian it’s worth having around. You can buy it. Or make it. Either way it’s the starting point of any niter kibbeh. A couple of the main spices toasted in ghee gets you part of the way there. The onions, garlic and ginger in the main recipe get you most of the rest. It’s not the same. Not saying it is. But it’s close.
It all comes together fast
Once you have ghee and you’ve made the onion paste dinner is only 20 minutes away. Weeknight cooking. Weekend results. Serve it with injera bread. Maybe a lentil dish. Ethiopian feasting on a Tuesday night. Why not?
