The Art of Ethiopian: Part 2 - Chicken & Fish

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, 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 fish inspiration is found at Allrecipes HERE. 


Ingredients (Doro Wat):

3-4 pounds chicken (I used 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. 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 onion to the chicken.

Step 3: Add the rest of the spice, and simmer for 30 minutes 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. Add all sauces and 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 boost.

Up next: Part 3 - Potatoes & Lentils