28 March 2009

A Culinary Trip to Ethiopia Continued

For the past few weeks, Chef E from Cook Appeal and I have been traveling virtually through the cuisine of Ethiopia. I was so honored this week to play host to a real Ethiopian at my Friday feast! My neighbors adopted a little girl from Ethiopia about a year ago. Here she is sitting at my kitchen table enjoying....macaroni and cheese. Don't you just love her pudgy, pudgy hands? I tore off some injera for her and she looked at it like it was not edible. I thought it was quite cute that while her parents and my husband and I feasted on dishes from Ethiopia, she was happily munching on the mac and cheese I made for all the kiddos.

For our culinary tour this week, I decided on making Doro We't, a spicy chicken and egg dish, as well as Ye'atakilt Alich'a, which is a vegetable stew.  Also, as a bonus, my little friend's father prepared Yemisir Alich'a which is mild lentil sauce served with pita chips or injera.
The Doro We't.  You can just see how spicy and rich the sauce is.

Doro We't by Joie de vivre

Ingredients:

6 lbs. chicken parts
3 sticks unsalted butter
3 lbs. red onions, chopped
2 tsp. garlic powder
4 heaping Tbls. berbere (recipe here)
9 oz. tomato paste
3 c. chicken stock
10 hard boiled eggs, peeled and slightly scored
1 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1.  In a large Dutch oven on the stovetop, melt the butter.  Add the onions to the melted butter and saute over medium heat until translucent, about 5-10 minutes.  
2.  Meanwhile, remove the skin from the chicken parts and score the meat slightly to allow the sauce to penetrate once they are added to the pot.
3.  To the onions, add the garlic powder, berbere, tomato paste and the black pepper.  Add the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil.  Add the chicken pieces to the sauce one piece at a time, stirring between each addition to make sure that each piece of chicken is covered in sauce.
4.  Pre-heat the oven to 275 degrees.
5.  Cover the Dutch oven and place it in the oven for 4 hours.
6.  Thirty minutes before serving, add the hard boiled eggs to the sauce to warm.
7.  Serve Doro We't with injera (recipe here) and eat it with your hands.


Ye'atakilt Alich'a (Vegetable Stew)


Ye'atakilt Alich'a (Vegetable Stew) adapted from Exotic Ethiopian Cooking by D.J. Mesfin

Ingredients:

3 sticks butter
1 1/2 c. red onions, chopped
6 medium potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into large bite sized pieces
5 large carrots, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
6 oz. tomato paste
1 small green cabbage, cored and chopped into large chunks
6 medium Anaheim chilies, seeded and sliced into long, skinny strips
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 c. chicken stock
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1.  In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium high heat.  Add the chopped onions and saute until translucent 5-10 minutes. 
2.  Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir.  
3.  Cover the Dutch oven and place in a 275 degree oven for 3-4 hours until all of the vegetables are tender and are browning.
4.  Stir the Ye'atakilt Alich'a to combine and serve with injera.


Our special treat, Yemisir Alich'a (Mild Split Lentil Sauce)

Yemisir Alich'a (Mild Split Lentil Sauce) adapted from Exotic Ethiopian Cooking by D.J. Mesfin

Ingredients:

2 c. lentils
6 c. water
2 c. chopped onions
2 c. butter
1 Tbls. ginger
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1/3 c. berere

Directions:

1.  Bring water to boil in a large stockpot.
2.  Pick through the lentils and remove any rocks.  Boil the lentils in the water for 5 minutes.
3.  In another pot, melt the butter and add the onions.  Cook until the onions are translucent but not browning, 5-10 minutes.  Add the lentils and the water to the onions.  Add the spices.  Simmer for 20 minutes until the mixture is thick and the lentils are soft.  Serve with injera.


I've so enjoyed this culinary tour of Ethiopia.  The dishes are rustic and although they are not quick and easy to make, they are SO WORTH IT!  Thank you Chef E for suggesting we do this!  Don't forget to check out the amazing Ethiopian dishes at Cook Appeal.  Chef E used to work at an Ethiopian restaurant and goes all out for her meals.

25 comments:

Wandering Coyote said...

That chicken dish looks astounding, and I love the addition of the hard boiled egg - very cool!

Nicole said...

I think that's the cutest little girl I've ever seen!

potugueseflavours said...

I discoverd your blog and i really like it. Congratulations!

Donna-FFW said...

You are amazing, Amanda. How d you find the time to do all you do?? This looks terrific! Hard boiled eggs, whod have thought? Do your children enjoy all your different dishes?

Daily Spud said...

It's been a great culinary tour and love that the little one turned her nose up at the injera and had mac n cheese instead! :)

Heather S-G said...

Everything looks so delicious. I don't think I've ever had Ethiopian food (?) I must change that. Aren't kiddos amazing...I've never met one that didn't love mac & chz :)

Cathy said...

That looks delicious!! And their little girl is adorable...I love her hair

Elyse said...

Awww, that baby is just precious!! What a cutie-pie. These dishes look amazing. Chicken and spiciness were made to go together. Plus, that vegetable stew looks incredible! What a great trip to Ethiopia!

Chef E said...

Yum, now I so want the egg and the though of spicy is good to me! I am doing mine today... She is adorable, and that is funny how kids will steer towards mac and cheese!

chow and chatter said...

love this food, need to try and make it, ijera is a little like South Indian Dosa, lovely post thanks for sharing

Bob said...

That chicken looks wicked good. Ir reminds me of something I saw on Tod English a while ago. When he went to an Ethiopian restaurant, if you can believe that. ;)

Recipe man said...

had one experience with Ethiopian food. tasty but the smells troubled me abit ( didnt bother me from eating :-) )

Karen said...

That vegetable stew looks and sounds amazing! The little girl is a doll and I love that she preferred the mac & cheese... kids are the same all over!

Sam said...

Your posts about Ethiopian food are really interesting, the recipes look great especially that chicken dish.

Reeni said...

Everything sounds spicy and wonderful!! What a little darling she is!

Heather said...

that chicken and egg dish sounds amazing - it is definitely going on my list of foods to try!!

Mara @ What's For Dinner? said...

Unbelievable stuff you've got here! Thanks for checking out my blog :)

Sarah said...

dorro wet is fabulous, i've made it for friends from chad!

Nurit said...

She is a cute little one.
and mac and cheese... don't get me started... the minute kids spot it, forget about trying to give them anyting else.

Susan said...

Fabulous recipes. I made doro wat, niter kibbeh and injera a while back. Your recipes inspire me to try the veggies and lentils. Thanks for posting!

Maris said...

The vegetable stew looks especially good - now I'm dying to try Ethiopian food! Yum!

Robin said...

You are making my mouth water with all these treats. Such delicious looking food. I love trying other cuisines! The little girl is so cute!

Tangled Noodle said...

Thank you so much for guiding us through Ethiopian cuisine! These recipes are marvelous, especially the lentils. I have a container berbere that is waiting for more recipes - I'm saving all of these featured by you and Chef E.

Alicia Foodycat said...

I must try that chicken dish - it looks amazing.

Diana said...

Oooh I LOVE Ethiopian food and that little girl is so adorable. If you're ever in Seattle I'll have to take you to our favorite Ethiopian restaurant.

ShareThis