I’ve always said that in America — where you have access to the highest-quality ingredients and great cooking supplies — you can often make ethnic food that actually tastes better than it does in its native country. Doro we’t, the spicy chicken stew that is the national dish of Ethiopia, proves my point.

My wife, Maya, has mastered the dish, which her mom and sisters taught her to make, and she prepares it whenever we have guests. She treks across Central Park to her favorite Puerto Rican butcher on East 111th Street to pick out organic chicken legs. Back home, she removes the skin and rinses the legs with lemon water, following every step of the recipe meticulously. Soon, our whole house is filled with the aroma of doro we’t.

For a traditional Ethiopian meal, serve doro we’t with injera bread, or give it an international flair by accompanying it with couscous or steamed rice. Whichever way, it’s a wonderful dish you’ll find yourself coming back to again and again.

Steps

1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over low heat. Add the garlic, onions, and ginger, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 30 minutes. Add the tomato paste and berbere and cook for another 15 minutes.
2. Season the chicken legs with the cardamom and salt. Add the chicken to the sauce, along with the spiced butter, chicken stock, and wine. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour.
3. In a separate pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add the collard greens and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the greens with a slotted spoon and transfer to the chicken stew.
4. Serve with the hard-boiled eggs and cottage cheese on the side.