Main Courses

1. Tibs (sautéed meat chunks)

The country’s “go-to meat dish,” as Curtis describes it, is usually made from beef cut into small chunks and sautéed in butter or oil with onions, garlic, hot pepper and rosemary. You’ll find this on most general Ethiopian menus, served with injera, naturally.

Its Recipe

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons niter kibbeh, or plain unsalted butter
  • 2 medium onions, chopped medium (about 2 cups)
  • 3 inch knob ginger, minced, about 2 tablespoons
  • 6 medium cloves garlic, minced, about 2 tablespoons
  • 2 tablespoons berbere.
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 pound beef sirloin, cut into 1-inch cubes, trimmed of excess fat and connective tissue
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice, to taste

Instructions

make sure that,

1.Melt niter kibbeh or butter in a heavy saucepan on medium heat, then add onions, ginger, garlic, and berbere. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are dark, ruddy, and golden, about 30 minutes. Onions should be at a low sizzle during cooking process. Adjust heat accordingly. Transfer to food processor and blend until not quite a purée. Return to saucepan, season to taste with salt, and keep warm.
2.Season beef on all sides generously with kosher salt. Heat oil in a 12-inch cast iron or stainless steel skillet over high heat high until lightly smoking. Add beef in a single layer, leaving plenty of open space in the pan (brown in batches if you don't have a large enough skillet). Cook without moving until well-seared on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip meat cubes with tongs and cook on second side until well seared. Continue to cook meat, stirring and flipping occasionally until desired level of doneness is reached. For rare meat, transfer to saucepan immediately. For medium, cook an additional one to two minutes before transferring to saucepan. For well done, cook up to five more minutes before transferring to saucepan.
3.Toss beef with warm sauce, stir in lemon juice, and serve immediately.

2. Shiro be Kibbe (legume stew)

attributes

This is Ethiopia’s peasant dish, although it’s eaten by all classes and is the most popular dish in the country.” In Addis, Richman and Curtis took my group to a hole-in-the-wall specializing in shiro. (It was Friday, a fasting day, so this was in lieu of visiting a butcher shop with an attached restaurant.) The reddish, saucy dish is made by combining a flour of ground split peas and chickpeas with kibbe, or spiced clarified butter. “It’s an incredibly rich and delicious dish,” Vynnel says. “This is our favorite thing to eat in Ethiopia.”

Its Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 -2 Tablespoons Spiced butter /Coconut oil/
  • ¼ cup cooking oil
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons berbere spice Homemade here
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1/2 Tablespoon fresh minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon coriander or cumin
  • 1-2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 cup dry lentils soaked for 2 hours
  • 1 Tablespoons Tomato paste
  • 2 cups or more broth Vegetable /Chicken or water
  • 2 tablespoons or more chopped parsley/Cilantro
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

make sure that,

Heat up large sauce-pan with oil, spiced butter, then add onions,berbere spice, garlic, ginger ,cumin, and smoked paprika, stir occasionally for about 2-3 minutes until onions is translucent.
Then add soaked lentils, tomato paste, stir and sauté for about 2-3 more minutes. Add stock / water if necessary to prevent any burns.
Salt
Bring to a boil and let it simmer until sauce thickens, it might take about 30 minutes or depending on how you like your lentils. Throw in some parsley, adjust for salt, pepper and stew consistency.
Serve warm.

3. Kitfo (Ethiopian beef tartare)

Tartare fans, this might be your favorite new Ethiopian dish. Kitfo is ground raw beef that’s been mixed with kibbe, the spiced clarified butter. It can be accompanied by mitmita, another popular Ethiopian spice blend. The result melts in your mouth and tastes great with the typical accompaniments of gomen (cooked greens) and a soft fresh cheese. A special flatbread called kocho usually accompanies the dish, along with injera.

Its Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs top round beef (freshly cut)
  • 6 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper (Mitmita*)
  • 4 tablespoons clarified butter (Nitir Kebe)
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom powder (korerima)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
  • salt and black pepper

Instructions

Cut the meat in small pieces; remove fat and seams.
In a food processor put small amount of the meat at a time, spread some mitmita, grind until meat is finely chopped; using a fork, remove any residue of fat and seams; place the spicy ground meat in a dish; repeat the process until all required meat is done.
In small pot, on a lower heat melt the butter, add the remaining mitmita, false cardamom, (garlic, black pepper, salt, if needed); remove from heat.
Combine the spicy ground meat with the spicy butter; using fork and spoon, mix it until completely marinated.
Place it in a lightly warm serving dish, serve it immediately with Injera or bread. If preferred, sauté the marinated meat for two to three minutes.
Note: As Steak Tartar is an uncooked dish, choice of first class quality meat and cleanliness is important.
* You will find these spices in Ethiopian or Indian shops/groceries.
** Please go to www.yewoinfamilycooking.com to see how to prepare Purified/Clarified Butter (Nitir Kebe).

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