Ethiopian Holiday Platter with Doro Wat, Gomen and Injera

About This Recipe

This platter brings together the essentials of a proper Ethiopian holiday spread, most commonly served for celebrations like Ethiopian Christmas (Genna) and Easter (Fasika). Doro wat, the berbere-spiced chicken and hard-boiled egg stew widely considered Ethiopia's national dish, anchors the plate, its deep red-orange sauce built on the same slow-cooked onion base found across nearly all Ethiopian wat dishes. Gomen, sauteed collard greens brightened with garlic, ginger and a squeeze of citrus, provides a fresh, slightly bitter counterpoint to the rich stew — the ginger and citrus are common Ethiopian home touches that keep the greens from tasting flat. Injera, the spongy, tangy fermented flatbread made from teff, is the traditional utensil for the entire meal, used to scoop up both the stew and the greens rather than eating with cutlery. While making injera from scratch takes days of fermentation, this platter uses a quicker skillet version so the full spread is achievable for a home cook without specialized equipment or a multi-day timeline.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1.2 kgbone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks(skin removed)
• 1 tbsplemon juice
• 1.5 tspfine sea salt(divided)
• 3 largeonions(finely chopped)
• 4 tbspniter kibbeh or vegetable oil
• 4 clovesgarlic(minced, divided)
• 1 tbspfresh ginger(grated, divided)
• 3 tbspberbere spice blend
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1.5 cupschicken stock
• 6 largeeggs(hard-boiled and peeled)
• 1 largebunch collard greens(stemmed and thinly sliced)
• 2 tbspvegetable oil(for gomen)
• 1 tbsplemon juice(for gomen)
• 2 cupsquick teff flatbread batter(teff flour, water, baking powder — for injera-style flatbread)

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the chicken

   Rub chicken with lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

2. 2

   Build the doro wat base

   In a wide pot, cook onions over medium-low heat, stirring often, 18-20 minutes until deeply softened. Stir in niter kibbeh or oil, half the garlic and half the ginger, cooking 2 minutes.

3. 3

   Bloom the berbere and simmer

   Add berbere and tomato paste, stirring 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Pour in stock and remaining 1 teaspoon salt, then nestle in the chicken. Cover and simmer 40-45 minutes until falling-tender. Add hard-boiled eggs for the final 10 minutes.

4. 4

   Cook the gomen

   In a separate skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add remaining garlic and ginger, cooking 1 minute, then add collard greens in batches, wilting them down. Cook 8-10 minutes until tender, finishing with lemon juice and a pinch of salt.

5. 5

   Make the quick flatbread

   Whisk teff flour with water and baking powder into a thin, pourable batter. Cook in a lightly oiled nonstick skillet over medium heat in thin rounds, covered, for 2-3 minutes per side until set and lightly spongy.

   A true injera ferments for several days for its tang; this quick version trades some authenticity for speed, so serve it warm as the vehicle for scooping the stew.

6. 6

   Assemble the platter

   Arrange the flatbread on a large platter or individual plates. Spoon doro wat with eggs and gomen alongside, and serve with extra flatbread on the side for scooping.

Variations

• •

  Make a proper fermented injera a day or two ahead if you have the time, for a more traditional tangy flavor.

• •

  Add misir wot (spiced red lentils) as an additional side for a fuller, more traditional Ethiopian spread.

• •

  Serve with ayib (fresh Ethiopian cheese) on the side as a cooling contrast to the spiced dishes.

Storage

Refrigerate doro wat and gomen separately up to 4 days; the stew's flavor deepens overnight. Store flatbread wrapped at room temperature for a day, or refrigerate up to 3 days and reheat briefly in a dry skillet.

Frequently Asked Questions