Ethiopian Beef Tibs

Well, this is a dish I've been meaning to post for awhile, though I did not have injera to eat with it. Next time I make these I might take myself on the adventure to procure some all-teff injera from Shega Foods.

I went to a new Ethiopian place that opened near my house several months ago intending to order kitfo and kocho, neglecting to notice they only serve that on weekends. So, without injera (they had only the glutinous kind), I opted to get their beef tibs, assuming they would certainly be good, using salad as the injera-vessel. Friends, they were not good. They were swimming in oil and were bland and not caramelized and it was disappointing. I am spoiled by Bolé. I guess I thought all tibs were crispy and chewy and delicious. Not so. (Incidentally, Bolé's link has a youtube video where they are making their Derek Tibs. You can see the goodness! They also show their signature dish Majet, which is a beautiful tower of Derek Tibs, Kitfo, and Quanta Firfir that I highly recommend with the all teff injera.)

Previously made tibs with shiro and avocado salad atop injera

I learned to make these tibs from my friend who grew up in Ethiopia. It took about 6 times for me to finally get it, thanks to her standing by and saying, well, are you going to make the tibs or what? So I would quit waiting for her to tell me what to do. 😂  (I am still in that phase with the creamy chickpea dish shiro, which means I have to make it another time or two with her nearby before I post that one, which is nice to eat alongside.) She and I have used various cuts of meat for this dish, and the favorite is a thinly sliced top round steak. The meat is diced into pretty small pieces, so you can also use skirt steak, flank steak, a flat iron, etc and just trim any fat.

Beef Tibs serves 2-4

1+ lb lean steak, cut into 1/2" square pieces

1/2 large onion, sliced thin

3 T Niter Kibbeh

2 T Ethiopian cardamom*

1/4 tsp mitmita (or more, it's spicy)

1 jalapeno, diced

2 cloves garlic

sprigs of rosemary (opt)

*Ethiopian cardamom is more coarsely ground, and is also called "false cardamom" or "Korarima." It is a black cardamom from the ginger family, not the smaller green pods of Indian cardamom. You can buy it at Shega Foods, along with mitmita spice mix, and Niter Kibbeh (if you don't want to make it). (If you do not have Ethiopian false cardamom, use regular cardamom and add a touch of nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper.)

1. Heat a large cast iron skillet on high heat. Add your meat to the skillet (no oil/fat is added yet, so you are cooking the meat dry). Cook off all of the meat juices until the meat starts to brown, 6-12 minutes depending on your meat.

2. Add your onion slices, also dry, to the meat. Cook until the onions release their juices and also begin to brown, several minutes.

3. Lower the heat and add the niter kibbeh, cardamom and mitmita, being sure to coat all of the meat pieces with the butter and spices. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and rosemary. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Salt to taste. Serve!

The bite size pieces are perfect for eating with injera and with your hands. This time I ate them (non-traditionally) with some roasted beets, cabbage, and some left over rice.