Doro Wat

Score the chicken pieces with a knife and rub with lemon juice and salt. Let marinate for thirty minutes. This step removes any gamey flavour and allows the berbere spices to penetrate deeply into the meat during the long braising process.

Place the finely diced onions in a large dry heavy pot over medium heat. Cook without any oil for fifteen to twenty minutes, stirring constantly, until the onions are completely dry, shrunken, and deeply browned. This slow, dry caramelization is the foundation of the wat.

Add the niter kibbeh to the browned onions and stir until melted. Add the berbere spice blend and cook for five minutes, stirring constantly, until the spice mixture darkens and the oil begins to separate at the edges, indicating the spices are fully toasted.

Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, ginger, and cardamom. Cook for five minutes until the paste turns very dark and concentrated. Add the cup of water and stir to create a smooth, thick sauce with a rich, deep red-brown colour.

Nestle the marinated chicken pieces into the sauce, spooning the sauce over each piece to coat completely. Cover the pot tightly and simmer over very low heat for forty-five minutes, turning the chicken once, until the meat is tender and pulls from the bone.

Score each peeled hard-boiled egg with four shallow cuts lengthwise. Add the eggs to the stew during the last fifteen minutes of cooking, nestling them between the chicken pieces and spooning sauce over them so they absorb colour and flavour.

Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt. The finished doro wat should have a thick, complex sauce clinging to the chicken with no excess liquid. Serve on a large platter of injera with the eggs arranged around the chicken pieces.