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Key wat
Spicy beef stew
Key wat — beef simmered in a rich, red berbere sauce
Ask for key wat at a restaurant in Addis Ababa and you get a bowl of tender beef drowned in a sauce so red it gives the dish its name: key means red in Amharic. It is everyday celebration food, cooked for Sunday lunch, weddings and the end of a fast, and it shares the slow-cooked onion base of doro wat but with chunks of beef and a sharper, more peppery heat. The sauce should be thick and glossy, with a layer of red oil on top. Spoon it over injera with a cooling plate of greens or lentils beside it. Chef's tip: cut the beef into small, even 2 cm cubes so it soaks up the sauce and becomes tender in under an hour and a half.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the stew
- 1 ¾ lb beef chuckcut into 2 cm cubes
- 3 red onionslarge, very finely chopped
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp berbere spice blend
- 5 cloves garliccrushed
- ⅔ oz fresh gingergrated
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 ½ cups waterhot, divided
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp black pepper
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Cook the 3 red onions in a dry, heavy pot over a medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes, stirring often, until soft, reduced and starting to turn brown. Add a splash of water if they stick.
18 minStep 2: Add the 5 tbsp vegetable oil and cook for 3 minutes, then lower the heat and stir in the 3 tbsp berbere spice blend. Stir constantly for 2–3 minutes until deep red and fragrant. Never add berbere to a very hot, dry pan; it burns in seconds and the whole stew tastes acrid.
5 minStep 3: Add the 5 cloves garlic, ⅔ oz fresh ginger and 2 tbsp tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes, adding 2–3 tbsp of the ¼ cup water so the paste doesn't catch.
3 minStep 4: Add the 1 ¾ lb beef chuck, turn the heat to medium, and stir for 5 minutes until every cube is coated and has lost its raw colour. Keep the raw beef board and knife away from cooked food.
5 minStep 5: Pour in the rest of the 2 ¼ cups water and add the 1 ¼ tsp salt. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer over a low heat for 45–55 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until the beef is fork-tender. Stewed this long, the beef is cooked well beyond medium, so tenderness is your test.
50 minStep 6: Uncover, add the ½ tsp ground cardamom and ½ tsp black pepper, and simmer for 5–10 minutes until the sauce is thick and the oil gathers on the surface.
8 minStep 7: Take off the heat and rest for 5 minutes before serving with injera.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbs
- 15 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does key wat take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of red onions?
- White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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