Doro Wat (with Injera) inspired by Cutting for Stone

Abraham Vergese's Cutting For Stone is a grand, romantic medical and family novel which is mostly set in Ethiopia.  I love Ethiopian food, and Doro Wat is probably my favorite dish.  Google tells me that Doro Wat is often referred to as the Ethiopian National Dish, and I have seen it described this way on menus.  It is a firey hot stewed chicken, served with hard boiled eggs and injera - a  crepe like pancake made with fermented sour batter that is served with all Ethiopian food.  The injera serves as the utensil with which to eat the food.  As the main character Marion comments in the book, you can tell an Ethiopian native from a foreigner as to whether there hands are clean after eating Wat - for Marion, he noted that his hands were clean while his fathers were stained red at the finger tips.  Doro Wat is mentioned a couple of times in the book, most memorably for me at the beginning, when a young woman doctor Hema, arrives back to Addis Ababa and the hospital she works at after a long and harried (including near plane crash) journey from India, and immediately requests Doro Wat at her arrival.   I also attempted some injera, but did not have the time to ferment the dough so used some soda water to give it the characteristic bubbles.  This recipe took a lot of effort, as before you can make the Wat you need to make a spice paste (Berbere) and spiced clarified butter (Nitter Kibbeh), but the end result was tasty, though not as tasty, I must admit, as in an Ethiopian restaurant . 

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Does anyone out there like Grey’s Anatomy? House? What about ER? Chicago Hope? MASH? Any other TV medical melodramas? To some extent, comparing this book to Grey’s Anatomy is heresy, and does not do the book justice, but Cutting for Stone is like the best Grey’s Anatomy episode you have ever scene, and so much more. The book is a great combination of personal drama combined with a healthy dose of medical antidotes thrown in. It is exactly what I like about shows like Grey’s, the human stories combined with some gnarly surgeries or medical conditions. Cutting for Stone is the story of Shiva and Marion Stone, identical twins born at Missing (Mission) Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Their mother, an Indian nun named Sister Mary Joseph Praise dies in childbirth and their father, a British surgeon named Thomas Stone, abandons on them at birth and disappears. Shiva and Marion are raised by two Indian doctors who work at Missing, Ghosh, a gregarious and loving internal medicine doctor turned surgeon and Hema, a sharp, devoted OB/GYN specialist. In addition, Shiva and Marion are raised by the diverse and quirky Missing staff community, including the British nun who runs the hospital, Matron, Almaz, a religious and dedicated Ethiopian housekeeper, and Gebrew, an Ethiopian Priest who also serves as the guard at Missing, among others. The story starts from the perspectives of Praise, Stone, Hema and Ghosh, and after the twins birth, Marion becomes our narrator and whose perspective shapes the rest of the book. I think the author was smart to tell the beginning chapters from the perspective of Hema and Ghosh, which allowed the reader to really get to know and understand these two people and the experiences and viewpoints which shaped their actions for the rest of the book. Most of the book takes place in Ethiopia, at “Missing” Hospital, which was originally named “Mission.” The portions of the book that take place in Ethiopia are fascinating, with vivid descriptions of the people, scenery, history and politics of Addis. Ethiopia is definitely an important “character” in the book. In addition, medicine and the profession of being a doctor are a big part of the story. The author, Abraham Verghese is a doctor and professor at Stanford Medical School. As a reader, you can tell – his descriptions of the medical procedures, methods of diagnosis and diseases and illnesses suffered by the characters are clear and engrossing. I felt like I learned a lot reading this book. The last part of the book takes place in New York, at a hospital in the Bronx where Marion works and which is populated entirely with doctors from other countries. The characters that surround Marion in New York are almost as interesting and endearing as the characters who surrounded him in Ethiopia. While medicine and Ethiopia are major themes in this book, the real focus is the intense personal relationships and dramas between the characters – Marion’s loving relationship with his adoptive parents, his volatile relationship with his childhood love, Genet, his complicated relationship with his father, Thomas Stone, and most centrally, his powerful and fractured connection with his twin, Shiva. This book drew me in on many levels – the dramatic personal story, the beautiful and interesting depiction of Ethiopia, and the detailed medical descriptions – it was a joy to read. Has anyone else out there read this book? If so, let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Doro Wat and Injera

Adapted from http://www.africanchop.com/ ("The African Kitchen")

You must make the Berbere spice paste and Nitter Kibbeh clarified butter before you can start on the chicken.  Neither were too complicated and you can use the spice paste and butter for other purposes.  If anyone out there has made injera using fermented dough, I would love to hear how you did it.

Berbere (Spicy Red Pepper Paste)

Ingredients (makes about 1 cup)

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon fenugreek

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/2 small onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablesoons red wine

1 cup paprika

1 tablespoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 cup water

1 tablesoon vegetable oil

Toast the all the dry spices except salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne in a heavy skillet for one to to minutes, constantly stirring.  Remove from heat and let spices cool.  Combine the toasted spices, onion, garlic, 1/2 tablespoon of salt, and wine in a food processor or blender and process until mixture is a smooth paste.  You will note my paste is still a but chunky.

Combine paprika, red pepper, black pepper, 1/2 tablespoon of salt in the heavy skillet.  Toast the spices over low heat one minute, constantly stirring.  Stir in water to skillet slowly.  Then add the spice paste.  Cook over low heat, stirring, for 10 minutes.  You can then put the berbere in a jar, "African Kitchen" recommends putting a layer of oil over the paste, which is replenished each time you use some.  Store in refrigerator.

Nitter Kibbeh (Spiced Ghee)
Ingredients (makes about 1 cup)
1 pound unsalted butter
1 small onion, coarsley chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 stick cinnamon
1 whole clove
pinch ground nutmeg

In a heavy saucepan, heat butter very slowly over low heat until it has melted completely without any browning.  Increase heat and bring it to a boil just until top is covered with foam.  Stir in onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.  Lower heat to lowest possible setting and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes.  A clear layer of liquid will be at the top of the pan, and golden brown solids on the bottom.  Strain liquid through cheesecloth into container.  Discard seasoning and solids.  Cover tightly and store in refrigerator, or at room temperature.

Injera (Made about 5 rounds, but I didn't do a good job thinning them out)

This is usually made with fermented dough.  I would say this version is just so-so.  I would love to learn how to make injera the real way.

Ingredients

1 cup Teff flour

1 cup all purpose while flour

1/2 cup baking soda

2 cups club soda

Combine flour and baking soda in a large bowl.  Add club soda and stir well to form a thin batter.

Heat large, well seasoned skillet or nonstick pan until hot.  Brush lightly with oil.  Using cup or ladle, pour batter in pan, begin at outside of pan and pour in circle around the inside edges, tip pan to fill in gaps and spread out.  Cook for 1-2 minutes until surface is spongy and filled with air bubbles.  Do not flip, slide off griddle onto plate.

Doro Wat (very simply once you have all this other stuff made!) (4 -6 servings)

Ingredients

3-4 pound chicken cut in pieces

2 tablesoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 onions, chopped

1/4 cup nitter kebbeh

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

1/4 teaspoon fenugreek

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 cup berbere

2 tablesoons paprika

1/4 cup red wine

1 cup water

4 hard boiled eggs

Mix lemon juice and salt in small bowl, rub all over chicken and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in large heavy or non-stick skillet (I used a dutch oven) and add onions, simmer over moderate heat for five minutes, still softened. Stir in nitter kibbeh and heat until melted

Add garlic, ginger, fenugreek, cardamom, berbere and parika. Stir well and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Pour in wine and water, bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for five more minutes, until mixture is beginning to thicken.

Add chicken to sauce, turning to coat on all sides, cover tightly, lower heat and simmer 15 minutes.

Pierce wholes all over eggs with a fork, add to sauce. Cover and simmer another 15 - 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Serve with injera.