Doro Wat (spicy Angolan chicken stew)

(Not my picture)

Doro Wat is the national dish of Angola. A friend gave me a big jar of spice from Ethiopia called berbere, so I was looking around for things to do with it and came across a few recipes including this one. You absolutely need berbere to make this dish. I've checked online and it seems to be widely available in the UK. This is a pretty unique dish and a massive favourite of mine. The traditional method is just to throw everything into boiling water, but I've employed a bit of classic technique and it's much better.

INGREDIENTS

• Chicken thighs, dusted with a little seasoned flour
• Hard boiled eggs – 1 per person (or more)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 lg spoon garlic puree and a bit less of ginger puree
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 pint, chicken stock
• Up to 1/2 pint wine (any you like)
• Lemon juice (splash)
• Berbere spice, pimenton, salt

METHOD

1. Using a large Dutch oven or similar, fry the chicken on medium-high heat just long enough to brown and seal but not fully cook through. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Soften the onion for 8 mins, then add the purees and the red pepper for a further 4 mins.
3. Add the dry spices and salt. Mix 3 mins. Prevent sticking.
4. Add lemon juice and wine to deglaze the pan. Boil it for a few mins to reduce.
5. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
6. Return the chicken. The liquid should barely cover it, add a little water if required
7. Lid on, and put in oven at 180C for at least an hour.
8. Check seasoning half way, and add eggs (whole or chopped) for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with rice and greens. Sometimes I add par-boiled potatoes to the pot instead of having rice.