Marcus Samuelsson's Ethiopian Chicken Tacos (aka Doro Wot Tacos)

Try These Authenic and Flavorful Tacos

From the kitchen of Marcus Samuelsson

Ingredients

For the chicken:

4 tablespoons olive oil

5 garlic cloves, minced

5 red onions, finely chopped

1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 tablespoons berbere

8 skinless chicken legs

1/4 tablespoon cardamom powder

1 tablespoon salt

3 tablespoons spiced butter

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup red wine

For the ayib:

2 quarts buttermilk

1 cup fresh spinach leaves, rinsed and dried

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salt

For the spiced butter;

1 pound unsalted butter

½ medium red onion, coarsely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

One 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon cardamom seeds

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

8 basil leaves

For tacos:

1 package small corn tortillas

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Cooking Directions

For the chicken:

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over low heat and add garlic, onion and ginger, slowly cook until softened, stirring occasionally about 30 minutes. Add tomato paste and berbere, cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Season chicken legs with cardamom powder and salt, add to sauce with spiced butter, chicken stock and wine, bring to a simmer and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour.

Once the meat has cooled to the touch, you can remove from the bone and reserve for serving in tacos.

For the ayib:

Preheat the oven to 350º degrees. In a large saucepan, bring the buttermilk to a boil. In a moment or two, it will separate into curds and whey. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, spread the dry spinach leaves on an ungreased baking sheet and bake in oven until dried, 5-7 minutes. Keep an eye on it, because it will go from browned to burned in a moment. Remove the baking sheet from the oven as soon as the spinach looks papery and lightly browned on the edges. Let the leaves cool, then crumble them into flakes.

Pour the curds and whey through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or a paper towel that has been rinsed in cold water and squeezed out. Gather the curds in the cloth or paper towel and turn them into a bowl. Fold in the paprika, black pepper and spinach, and add a small pinch of salt, to taste.

For the spiced butter:

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. As foam rises to the top, skim and discard it. Continue cooking, without letting butter brown, until no more foam appears. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, fenugreek, cumin, cardamom, oregano, turmeric, and basil and continue cooking for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat and let stand until the spices settle. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve before using.

Store in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container for up to 3 weeks.

For the tacos:

(Makes 32 mini tostadas)

Use a 1 1/2 inch ring mold cutter, cut small rounds out of tortillas.

Deep fry in taco basket till golden brown, season with kosher salt.

This recipe was styled by chef Karen Pickus for Good Morning America.

Recipe courtesy Marcus Samuelsson.