This is part two of a four-part series on Ethiopian cooking, the American way. Since I am such an expert (I know someone from Ethiopia. Plus I’ve eaten it like… four times) I decided to share my versions of some of my favorites.
The recipes are fairly straightforward, you just need to obtain the spices, and be patient. All said, the cooking for this dinner party probably took about 6 hours. The dishes took twice that long. 😉
The Art of Ethiopian Cuisine: Part 1 – Beef & Pork
The Art of Ethiopian Cuisine: Part 2 – Chicken & Fish
The Art of Ethiopian Cuisine: Part 3 – Potatoes & Lentils
The Art of Ethiopian Cuisine: Part 4 – Cheese, Greens, & Injera
Part 2: Chicken and Fish
Sounds like the punchline of a bad Lent joke. Appropriate for April I guess. (Is April still when Lent happens?) But since the earlier post had already covered the ‘red’ meats of beef and pork, this one is for the “white meats”. Sorta.
Chicken stew in Ethiopian is called Doro Wat. I’ve figured that most things that say “Wat” mean meat stew, whereas “Tibs” means meat and vegetables stewed together. As in “Yasa Tibs” meaning my fish, tomato & spinach stew.
The recipe I based the Doro Wat from is found HERE from NomNomPaleo, while the inspiration for the fish is found at Allrecipes HERE.
Ingredients (Doro Wat):
- 3-4 pounds chicken (bone in will give you better flavor, I used a mix of 2 thighs and 2 boneless skinless breast)
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tbsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp ginger powder
Step 1: Add stock to chicken in a pan, and cook over low heat until no pink is left. Cut the breast into bite-sized cubes.
Step 2: In a separate pan, add butter and diced onions. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Add 1 cup diced onion to the chicken.
Step 3: Add the rest of the spices, and simmer for 30 minutes or until serving. Add more stock if liquid starts to evaporate.
Ingredients (Yasa Tibs):
- 1-2 small tilapia (or other white fish) fillets
- 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 small can tomato paste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup fish sauce (or vinegar if you don’t have it)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Garlic salt to taste
- Squirt of Sriracha or Tabasco, if you like
Step 1: Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces. Cook in a pan with olive oil until white and flaky.
Step 2: Add all sauces, spices, and spinach. Simmer at least until spinach is wilted, until serving.
This one is delightfully salty and tangy from the fish sauce and acidic lemon juice. And probably the healthiest stew thus far, with little to no fat and a spinach nutrition boost.