Filling Tummies with Injera and Doro Wat (TMX style)

Recently we celebrated Ethiopian New Year with the celebration dish Doro Wat (spicy chicken stew). I accompanied the dish with injera (sour pancakes). Yum, yum, yum! I was so happy with the authentic taste of the dish and will be making it often for our family. I was really thrilled that our eldest son (Ethiopian-born) enjoyed the dish as he is normally not overly keen on Ethiopian food (oh the irony :-)).

It was the first time that I had ever cooked chicken drumsticks in the TMX bowl and I was really thrilled with the results. They were all intact and cooked to perfection. Such a clever little machine (sigh)! The injera was my best effort so far - even my Hubby (a huge injera fan) was a teeny bit impressed. Injera is tricky to make without teff flour and without the lengthy fermentation process, but this was definitely on the right track. The photo below showed my first experimental injera batch with all unbleached flour. My second batch with milled buckwheat were much more authentic in colour. The surface of the injera is full of holes - like a crumpet.

Ethiopian Doro Wat and Injera

Injera

The injera batter can be made and set aside until the stew is cooking.

Ingredients:

75g buckwheat (preferred) or spelt/wheat grain
225g plain flour
3/4 tsp bicarb soda
1 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar
500g soda water

Method:

Mill buckwheat for 1 minute on speed 9. Add plain flour and bicarb and mix for 10 seconds on speed 3.

Add vinegar and soda water and mix for 20 seconds on speed 3-4. Add more soda water if necessary to make a thin batter.

Pour the batter into a crepe pan that has been heated on a medium heat and lightly oiled. When pouring in the batter take the pan off the heat and swirl around ensuring that the entire pan is evenly covered. I used 1/3 cup of batter in my 20cm crepe pan. Wait until the injera has completely cooked on top (don't flip it) and then slide onto a plate. Repeat until mixture is finished.

Doro Wat

Ingredients:

4-6 eggs
3 large red onions - peeled and quartered
50g butter
1/2 tsp berbere or to taste (see notes)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
8 chicken drumsticks (skin and ankles removed)
100g tomato paste
100g red wine
430g water
1-2 tbsp cornflour (optional)

Method:

Place eggs (whole) in varoma dish. Set aside.

Place onions and butter in TMX and chop for 3-4 seconds on speed 5. Cook for 30 minutes on 90 degrees, reverse speed 1.

Add berbere and ginger and cook for 5 minutes, varoma temp, reverse speed 1.

Assemble chicken drumsticks around blades (mine were standing up around edge of bowl) and saute for 5 minutes, 100 degrees, reverse soft speed.

Add water, wine and tomato paste and cook for 7 minutes, 100 degrees, reverse soft speed.

Set varoma in place and continue to cook for 20 minutes, varoma temp, reverse soft speed.

We like our stews nice and thick so at this stage I removed the varoma and added 2 tbsp of cornflour and cooked it off for 2 minutes at varoma temp, reverse soft speed.

Place the eggs in a bowl of cold water to cool and then peel them.

To serve the meal place an injera on each plate and top with doro wat and an egg for each person. Place an extra rolled injera on the plate also. The meal can also be placed on a big platter and shared (which we will do next time) - very fun!

The injera is used for scooping up the doro wat (no cutlery allowed folks) and remember to only use your right hand. I won't go into what the left hand is used for. :-)

Notes:

I buy Ethiopian-made berbere from our adoption support group's online store here. Check out the shop because there are some lovely items for sale and the profits go to wonderful charities and organisations in Ethiopia.

If you would like to make your own spice blend there are some recipes online. They are not the same as the genuine Ethiopian blends, but still very acceptable.

If you do buy some berbere just check the "heat" before you add the blend to your onions. I generally put a tiny pinch on my tongue and immediately know how much to add :-). With some blends I need to add 1 tbsp, but with this blend 1/2 a tsp was more than enough.