History

Washington DC has the largest Ethiopian population outside Addis Ababa, settled along Ninth Street NW in Shaw (Little Ethiopia) and Adams Morgan from the 1980s onward. The community arrived after the 1974 revolution and grew through the 1990s; the unofficial neighbourhood designation came in 2005 after a coalition of business owners petitioned the city. Doro wat, the long-cooked chicken stew bronzed with berbere chili paste and niter kibbeh spiced butter, is the national dish of Ethiopia and the menu centrepiece in DC's Ethiopian rooms. It is traditionally eaten with the right hand from a shared round of injera flatbread, with a hard-boiled egg in the middle and additional vegetable stews (gomen, misir, atakilt) ringing the platter. Etete on 9th Street has run the canonical version since 2004; Dukem opened nearby in 1997 and is the older institution.

Common allergens: Egg, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 2 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 8 bone-in skinless chicken thighs
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 3 large red onions, very finely chopped
  • 60g niter kibbeh (Ethiopian spiced butter) or ghee plus 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 5 tablespoons berbere spice mix
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 thumb of ginger, minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato puree
  • 250ml chicken stock or water
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and pricked all over
  • Injera flatbread, to serve

Method

  1. Toss the chicken with lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Set aside 20 minutes.
  2. Cook the chopped onion in a dry heavy pot over medium-low heat for 25 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and beginning to colour. This dry-cook step is the secret; do not skip it.
  3. Add the niter kibbeh and let it melt into the onions. Stir in the berbere, garlic, ginger and tomato puree, and cook 5 minutes more until the kitchen smells nutty and toasty.
  4. Add the chicken thighs and turn to coat. Add stock and salt. Cover and simmer over low heat for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should be thick and red.
  5. Add the peeled hard-boiled eggs and cook a further 10 minutes, spooning sauce over them. Serve on a large round of injera with additional injera for tearing off and scooping.

Tip from the editors. The dry-cooking of the onions is the most important step; the longer and slower the better. If the onions catch, add a splash of water and keep going.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat doro wat with injera

Doro wat with injera in Washington DC

Etete ★ 4.6

Ethiopian$$shaw

Etete in Washington DC is the canonical Little Ethiopia dining room on 9th Street since 2004, with doro wat, vegetarian combos and the spongy injera served on a shared round platter.

Signature: Doro wat, Vegetarian combination

Order: The doro wat with hard-boiled egg, eaten by hand from the shared injera platter.

Tip: Ask for the vegetarian combination if there are non-meat eaters; it is the more visually photographed plate.

1942 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001 Book →

Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant ★ 4.4

Ethiopian$$shaw

Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant in Washington DC is the U Street Ethiopian dining room since 1997, the older sister to Etete and a U Street institution with sidewalk seating and live music.

Signature: Kitfo, Tibs

Order: The kitfo (Ethiopian raw beef tartare) leb leb or rare with mitmita spice; the room's deepest cut.

Tip: Live Ethiopian music plays Friday and Saturday from 21:00; the back booth is the quietest table.

1114 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009 Book →

More cities are in research. Want doro wat with injera covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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