Chickpea Wat

A tasty veggie dish inspired by an Ethiopian classic

Serves	4
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	1 hour

This recipe is an adapted version of ‘Doro Wat’ – an Ethiopian chicken stew regarded by many as their national dish. The rich, warming flavours of chickpea wat are best enjoyed with freshly made injera!

Ingredients

1	large red onion, finely chopped
2	carrots, sliced
1/2 tsp	cayenne pepper
1 tsp	smoked paprika
1 tsp	ground cumin
1/2 tsp	ground cardamom
1 tbsp	tomato puree
400g	tinned chickpeas, drained
300g	frozen peas, defrosted
1 tsp	ground ginger
300ml	vegetable stock
	salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Heat oil in a medium-sized pan. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 5-6 minutes until it begins to soften (adding a splash of water will help). Then add the carrots, cover with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes.
Next, stir in the cayenne pepper, paprika, ginger, cumin, cardamom and tomato purée. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the chickpeas and stock, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for approx. 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the flavours have developed.
Add the peas and cook for a final 10 minutes over a low heat, adding water if you feel the stew is a little dry.
Adjust the seasoning if necessary, serve and enjoy with freshly made injera!

Chef’s tips

This dish is much milder than the original Ethiopian recipe, but if you want the authentic experience add more cayenne for extra heat! Grind cardamom pods if required.