Doro Alicha፡ዶሮ አልጫ

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, skinned and cut into 12 pieces
• 1 lemon, juiced, for washing the chicken
• 3 large red onions, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup niter kibbeh
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp korerima, ground
• 4 green chillies, slit lengthways
• 3 cups water
• 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

Method

1. 1

   Wash the chicken in the lemon juice and plenty of cold water, then drain it well

2. 2

   Cook the onions in a dry pot with no fat for 12 minutes, until they collapse and give up their water

3. 3

   Add the niter kibbeh and cook 8 minutes more until they are pale gold. Do not let them brown — an alicha has no colour to hide behind

4. 4

   Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric and korerima and cook 2 minutes

5. 5

   Add the chicken and turn the pieces in the onions until they are coated, then cook 10 minutes

6. 6

   Add the water and salt, cover, and simmer 40 minutes until the meat is coming away from the bone

7. 7

   Prick each egg two or three times with a fork and add them with the slit chillies for the last 10 minutes

8. 8

   The sauce should be thick enough to sit on a piece of injera without running off it