Spice 101: Berbere with Wat: Traditional Ethiopian Stew

 Berbere is a spice blend featured in Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine.  It is most commonly associated with the thick and complex stews known as Wat (or W'et).  Berbere also makes a fantastic spicy rub for meats and adds wonderful character to lentil soups.  Each family has their own variation of the Berbere blend, but they almost always feature chiles of varying heat levels, fenugreek, cumin, allspice, and ginger.

Try these great ideas:
Sprinkle a little over your baked sweet potatoes or other root vegetables.
Add some to sour cream or yogurt for a lively dip.
Kick up your refried beans.
Re-invent your fall chili
Rub onto baby back ribs before slathering with BBQ Sauce
Mix into flour for an exciting take on Fried Chicken.

Doro Wat: Ethiopian Chicken Stew

3 lb Chicken pieces

3 tb STM Rosemary EVOO

2 tb Sweet Butter or Niter Kibbeh (spiced butter, see below)

3 lbs chopped Onions

6 chopped Garlic Cloves

3 tb (+/-) STM Berbere Spice blend

2 tb Tomato Paste

1 tsp Sugar

2 c Chicken Stock

Hard Boiled Eggs

  Melt the butter with the oil.  Saute the onions until almost caramelized.  Then stir in the garlic, Berbere, tomato paste, and sugar.  Cook until it becomes a thick paste.  Stir the stock little by little.  Simmer for about 10 minutes, and then add the meat.  Cook until tender and liquid has reduced, 45-60 minutes.  It is traditional to add hard boiled eggs near the end of the cooking time.  Serve over fresh Injera bread, couscous, or rice. 

Chickpea Fritters in Spicy Berbere Sauce

3 c Chickpea flour

2 tsp STM Cumin

2 tb STM minced Onion

2 tb STM minced Garlic

Sauce:

3 tb Niter Kibbeh spiced butter (see below)

2 chopped Onions

3 minced Garlic cloves

1/2 c STM Berbere

1/2 c STM Meyer Lemon EVOO

2 1/2 c Vegetable stock or water

  Mix the chickpea flour with the cumin, garlic and onions.  Stir in 3/4 c stock or water until a firm dough ball forms.  Roll dough out to 1/4" thick and cut out with cookie cutters (a fish is traditional, but I use anything)  Fry the fritters until golden and puffy.  Set aside to drain.  Saute the onions until nearly caramelized.  Stir in the garlic and berbere.  Stir to form a rough paste and then slowly add the remaining stock.  Reduce for 15 minutes before adding the fritters to the sauce.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  *I like to add fresh vegetables to the sauce as well to make it a more balanced meal.  I've used zucchini, squash, eggplant, green beans, etc.

Niter Kibbeh: Ethiopian Spiced Butter

2 lbs Unsalted Butter, cubed

1/2 minced onion

3 tb minced Garlic

4 tsp minced Ginger

2 tsp STM Turmeric

1/4 tsp STM Cardamom

1" piece STM Cinnamon Stick

1 whole STM Clove

1/8 tsp freshly grated STM Nutmeg

  Slowly melt the butter in a saucepan.  Gently bring to a simmer and add the remaining ingredients.  Simmer uncovered and undisturbed - no stirring- over low for 45 minutes.  The milk solids will sink to the bottom and become a golden brown.  Strain the butter into a clean jar and cover tightly.  Keeps several weeks in the fridge.

   I use niter kibbeh in just about anything that calls for butter.  Mashed Potatoes, cornbread, sauteed vegetables, toast, etc.  It's a great way to add some extra flavor to a dish.

Stop by our website for lots more Berbere and other fantastic recipes!