Awaze Wings

Ethiopia is well known for its spice blends, most notably berbere, a very spicy mix consisting of ground chiles, cardamom, fenugreek, ginger and other ingredients. The country is also known for its sauces, such as awaze.  It is this sauce that served as an inspiration for this post. 

I came across a recipe for an awaze sauce that could be used for barbecue ribs. The recipe was fairly simple, clarified butter, berbere spice mix, rosemary and ground cardamom. I decided to take this recipe, adapt it a little, and use it for a buffalo wing sauce. 

The first modification to the recipe was the berbere spice mix. You can probably find pre-made berbere in an Ethiopian market or at Penzey's. Alternatively, you can do what I do and make your own spice mix. I prepared my own berbere, using a recipe from Huntler, Angler, Gardener, Cook, which is a great resource from author Hank Shaw. 

True awaze uses clarified butter, which I have in my refrigerator; however, my second modification was to go a slightly different route. I decided to stick with Hank Shaw's recipe, which uses water or oil to create a berbere paste. I used oil and, given that choice, I decided to forego the clarified butter. I have enough "fat" being used in the wings with the oil, which I added a little more to make the paste into a rough marinade sauce.

Finally, I decided that I would grill the wings. This decision is based upon my growing preference for grilled wings, especially over fried ones and even roasted wings.  

Overall, these are perhaps the spiciest wings that I have prepared as part of my Wings Around the World project. I recognize that the preparation is not a true Ethiopian awaze, but I will make up for it in the future with a traditional awaze recipe, such as tibs. Until then ...

AWAZE WINGS

Recipe adapted from The Food Network; Berbere Recipe from Hunter Angler Gardener Cook

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 12 chicken wings (drummettes and flats)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 12 cardamom pods
• 2 large shallots minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 3 tablespoons cayenne
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek
• Water

Directions:

1. Prepare the rub. Toast all of the whole spices in a dry pan over medium heat until they are fragrant. Set aside. In the same pan, heat the oil and sweat the shallots and garlic over medium heat. Do not let them turn color. Turn off the heat and set aside. Grind the whole spices in a spice grinder and then mix with the powdered spices. Add the shallots and garlic to a food processor, then add the spices and drizzle in water or oil as you buzz it on low. 

2. Cook the chicken wings. Heat a grill on medium high heat. Rinse the chicken wings and pat them dry. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the paste on the wings so that they covered all over. Oil the grates of the grill and place the chicken wings on the grill. Grill for about seven minutes and then flip the wings, grilling them for about seven minutes more. Watch to make sure the rub does not burn, if it starts to blacken, move the wings to a cooler part of the grill and extend the cooking time. 

3. Finish the dish. Once the wings reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, remove them from the grill.  

PEACE.