Ethiopian Wat (Chicken Stew)

Ethiopian Wat

What's wat? It's Ethiopian stew and is traditionally made with chicken. It's also very hot and spicy so take care in adding the seasonings—you may want to cut back a little on the cayenne.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups finely chopped shallots
1 pound tempeh, cut into 1-inch slices
3/4 teaspoon or less cayenne, according to taste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
Freshly cooked white rice
1/4 cup ground roasted peanuts

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the shallots from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pan, heat the remaining tablepoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the tempeh pieces and cook 5 to 10 minutes, turning, until lightly browned on all sides. Remove from the heat. Add the reserved shallots, cayenne, tomato paste, salt, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and turmeric, and mix well. Add 2 cups water and heat the mixture to boiling. Lower the heat, cover; and simmer for 30 minutes or until the flavor has developed. Serve hot over rice, sprinkled with ground peanuts.

Serves 6

From:
Some Like It Hot:
200 Spicy Vegetarian Recipes from Around the World
by Robin Robertson
A Plume Trade Paperback Original
Publication Date: September 1, 1998
Softcover $15.95
ISBN:0-452-27869-4
Recipes Reprinted by permission.