Page "Ethiopian cuisine" Paragraph 8

Wat stews all begin with a large amount of chopped red onion, which is simmered or sauteed in a pot.

Once the onions have softened, niter kebbeh ( or, in the case of vegan dishes, vegetable oil ) is added.

Following this, berbere is added to make a spicy keiy ( Amharic: ቀይ ḳey, Tigrinya, Ge ' ez: ቀይሕ ḳeyyiḥ ; " red ") wat, or may be omitted for a milder alicha wat or alecha wat ( Amharic: አሊጫ ālič ̣ ā ).

In the event that the berbere is particularly spicy, the cook may elect to add it before the kibbeh or oil so the berbere will cook longer and become milder.

Meat such as beef ( siga, Ge ' ez: ሥጋ śigā ), chicken ( Amharic: ዶሮ dōrō, Tigrinya: ደርሆ derhō ), fish ( Amharic: asa ), goat or lamb ( Amharic: beg, Tigrinya በግዕ beggiʻ ) is added ; legumes such as split peas ( Amharic: ክክ kik, Tigrinya: ክኪ kikkī ) or lentils ( Amharic: ምስር misir, Tigrinya: ብርስን birsin ); or vegetables such as potato ( dinich, Amharic: ድንች dinič, Tigrinya ድንሽ diniš ), carrots and chard ( Tigrinya: costa ) are also used in wat.