Ethiopian Berbere spice blend is the hot and exotic spice mixture that forms the basis of all Eritrean and Ethiopian cooking giving it its characteristic flavour. It is typically used to flavour the traditional stews known as wats.

It is a fairly course spice mix.

Constituents of Ethiopian Berbere:-

Chillies, Salt, Black Pepper, Allspice, Fenugreek, Cloves, Ginger, Ajowan Seed, Coriander, Cumin, Green Cardamom, Nutmeg.

Recipe for Doro Wat using Ethiopian Berbere:-

Ingredients for Doro Wat:-

1 large whole chicken
4 Large Onions
6 garlic cloves
6 to 10 hard boiled eggs
250 grams tomato puree
10 fresh tomatoes
25 grams Berbere spice mix
150 grams butter

Quarter and remove the skin from the chicken and score each piece slightly with a knife so the sices can penetrate sauce can penetrate.

In a large casserole pot, melt the butter and sauté the onions and garlic for five minutes. Add berbere spice mix, followed by tomato paste, stirring occasionally while the mixture simmers for about 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken pieces and make sure they are covered in the sauce.

Continue to simmer, adding enough water to maintain the consistency of a thick soup. When chicken is half done, after about 20 minutes, put in the hard boiled eggs and quartered, skinned fresh tomatoes. Cover and continue cooking until the chicken is tender.