Yebeg Wot, Ethiopian Famous Lamb Dish

Yebeg Wot is a famous Ethiopian Lamb Dish that is made with lean lamb meat sautéed with spicy wot.

Ingredients:

• 2 red onions finely minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh garlic finely minced
• 1/4 cup nitir kibbeh or olive oil
• 4 cups of water
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup of Berbere to taste
• 2 lbs of lean lamb meat cut evenly

Steps:

1. Chop onions by hand into small even sized pieces. Finely mince the garlic. Cut the lamb into bite size pieces, rinse in hot water and pat dry.
2. In a heavy enamel or iron stew pot, sweat the onions over moderate heat with the lid covered. Do not over stir to prevent the onions from drying.
3. Cook for 13 minutes, add hot water as needed, to keep the onions moist.
4. Once the water has evaporated and the onions are translucent, add 1 tbs of oil and roast the onions until they caramelize and darken, without burning for about 3 minutes.
5. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil or nitir kibbeh and continue to roast and caramelize the onions on high heat for 2 minutes.
6. Add 1/4 cup of hot water and cook for 1 minute.
7. Add 1/2 cup of Berbere and roast for 2 minutes (The roasted, caramelized onions and Berbere is what gives the sauce a rich dark color and flavor.)
8. Add 1/4 cup of hot water, the minced garlic, 1 tsp of cardamom, 1 tsp of black pepper and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.
9. Add the meat, small pieces at a time, integrating it into the sauce, until all the meat is added.
10. Close the lid and continue to cook over high heat, stir the sauce every 2 minutes, let cook for 15 minutes.
11. Add 1/4 cup of wine, and 2 tbls of butter (nitir kibbeh), if it was not used.
12. Reduce the heat to moderate and continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until the meat is tender.
13. Reduce the heat to low, add salt to taste and simmer for another 5 minutes. (If the water mixture is too watery, mix 1 tsp of shiro in 1/4 cup of hot water and mix well, add the liquid into the sauce as a thickener and simmer for few minutes to integrate into the sauce).
14. Let cool for 15 minutes and serve with Injera, with ayib as a side dish.