Chicken Berbere

Ethiopian cuisine is mostly made up of breads, stews (known as Wat), grains, and spices. Typically, an Ethiopian meal consists of a combination of injera (flatbread) with different wats, yet each diverse cultural group has their unique variation





Ingredients

• 3 oz cooking oil
  
• 2 lbs chicken breast, cut into cubes
  
• 2 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic clove, chopped
• 4 tablespoons berbere, pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 tomato, chopped
• 1 cup chicken stock (or chicken cubes dissolved in 1 cup of hot water)
• 1/2 lemon( grate the skin)
  
• pepper
• fresh cilantro stem (coriander)

Directions

1. Brown the chicken thoroughly on high heat in a skillet in some of the fat. Set aside. Don’t put too much meat into the skillet at once, or they won’t brown.
2. Fry the onion and garlic in additional fat in a pot on medium heat until it is transparent.
3. Add berbere, pepper and tomato paste and more fat if necessary so as not to burn the berbere.
4. Stir for a moment, then add chicken, tomatoes, stock and lemon peel.
5. Let simmer, covered, until the chicken is tender but not over-cooked (15-20 min).
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

NB:Berbere is a spice mixture whose ingredients usually include chile peppers, ginger, cloves, coriander, allspice, rue berries, and ajwain (also mistakenly known as bishop's weed). It is a key ingredient in the cuisines of Ethiopia and Eritrea.