This recipe is close but it isn't the way I learned how to make it. My husband is from Ethiopia and his sister, family, and friends taught me how to cook many Ethiopian dishes. The main thing that I do differently is the onions. They need to cooked with Niter kibbeh over a low heat for a long time until they get a dark brown caramelization. During the long and slow cooking process, the moisture from the onions and butter will evaporate and the onions become dry. That is when you add a little more of the Niter kibbeh. I sometimes add a drizzle of water as well. Stir them frequently to keep them from sticking to the pot. (I'll admit, I make a three gallon pot so, I use about 5 pounds of onions but, the method is the same). It takes me about 1 1/2 hours just to cook the onions. The dark, caramelized onions is what gives it a lot of flavor! When the onions are almost done, I mix up my berbere and then put it in a dry cast iron skillet over low heat to roast it forabout 5-minutes. This releases all the oils in the spices and intensifies the flavor. Then, I add the berbere to the onions and stir it in so it blends well. Depending on which dish I am making, chicken (Doro Wat) or beef (Sega Wat), I add either chicken or beef broth -- enough to make a thin sauce. Then I add in the beef or chicken and simmer it until the beef is very tender and falling apart or the chicken falls off the bones. I take the chicken out and pull the meat off the bones and add it back to the wat and I simmer it over low heat for a couple hours to reduce it down and let the sauce thicken to the consistency of a gravy. While it is simmering, I hard-boil eggs. After they are peeled, I put small slits (just in the whites) around the sides and add them (whole) to the wat. The eggs will absorb the sauce. FYI: I never add sugar... and I don't know of anyone who does. Also, start easy with the berbere if you aren't a big fan of hot and spicy! You can always add more to taste. Injera can be quite tricky to make and usually never turns out the first, or even second, time you make it. It is a fermnted sourdough crepe made with Teff flour (Teff is native to Ethiopia and gluten-free, in case you're wondering; however, not all injera is made with Teff so, if you are gluten intollerent, be sure to ask if has been made with Teff flour!) and takes 3 or 4 days to make because it needs to ferment. Teff flour comes in different colors, including white or ivory, red, and dark brown. If you're not comfortable in making injera from scratch, I suggest you find a local Ethiopian restaurant and purchase it from them. If that can't be done, you can serve it with rice. Have fun and enjoy!
