Doro Wot

Ingredients

2 pounds skinless chicken legs

Lemon juice

2 large red onions, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups berbere (Ethiopian spice mixture which includes chile pepper, garlic, ginger, dried basil, Ethiopian cardamom, black and white pepper, fenugreek and rue, a bitter shrub)

1 cup Niter Kibbeh (Ethiopian Spiced Butter), recipe follows

1/2 cup fresh garlic, finely ground

1/2 cup fresh ginger, finely ground

6 peeled hard-boiled eggs

Salt

Injera bread, for serving, recipe follows

Niter Kibbeh (Ethiopian Spiced Butter):

6 pounds unsalted butter

1/3 cup bishop seed (also known as ajwain, similar to thyme)

1/3 cup cardamom seeds

1/3 cup black cumin

1/3 cup koseret (dried woodsy flavored herb, dried oregano can be substituted)

Injera (Fermented Sourdough Bread):

1 1/2 pounds teff flour

1/2 pound barley flour

1/4 cup wheat flour

Directions

Wash and soak the chicken in cold water with lemon squeezed into it for 30 minutes. (This removes any bacteria and tenderizes the meat.)

Caramelize the red onions on low heat in a large pot for 1 hour. Add the berbere, Niter Kibbeh, garlic and ginger and cook for 30 minutes on medium-low heat. Add the marinated chicken and cook on medium-low heat, 30 to 45 minutes. Add in the hard-boiled eggs and salt to taste. Simmer on low heat for an additional 10 minutes and serve on the Injera.

Niter Kibbeh (Ethiopian Spiced Butter):

Melt the butter on low heat in a large pot. Blend together the bishop seeds, cardamom seeds and black cumin until powder form using coffee grinder or food processor. Pour into the butter. Add the dried koseret. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. When room temperature, skim the frothy milk solids off of the top. Carefully pour the clear, clarified butter into a large storage container.

Injera (Fermented Sourdough Bread):

Combine the teff flour and 12 cups water. Mix, cover and store in a dark, cool place for 3 to 4 days to ferment, giving it its sour flavor. On the last day of fermentation, mix the teff flour mixture with the barley and wheat flours. Let rest for another 8 hours.

Heat a large cast-iron pan over medium heat. Pour 1 cup fermented mixture into it, swirling the pan to cover the entire surface area. Cover with a lid, 2 to 3 minutes. Injera is ready to plate when holes have formed on the surface.  Place the injera on a plate and serve.