In our third year highlighting countries, we move between Africa and Asia. Kits include a little bit about the country of focus, a recipe (or more) that is native to the country, and a unique ingredient or two from that recipe without which, it wouldn't be the same. Most recipes are from writers native to the country covered or otherwise live there. I'll post the recipes and information here as well, so let's get cooking!
Ethiopian Culture, Cuisine and History
As explained by various cultural resources
There are a few main things you should know about Ethiopian cuisine:
Ethiopian cuisine is eaten slowly from a communal platter with your hands. The general custom is to use injera (a crepe-like slightly fermented flatbread) resting on a metal plate as your dish/utensils and rip off chunks as you go.
It’s almost unheard of to eat alone. If you know each other well enough, you might even feed each other as a sign of familiarity and caring. This is called gursha, or literally “mouthful.”
Though officially a secular country, religion plays a prominent part of Ethiopian culture. There are a predominant number of Christians, followed by Muslims and Rastafarians, with small communities of other religions including Jews, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and indigenous religions (which accounts for less than 1% of the population) and find that this has a major impact on the culture. In particular, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church follows “fasting” on Wednesdays, Fridays, and lent, in which followers eat nothing that comes from an animal (in other words, they eat vegan). The rest of the week they can eat most foods and all, vegan or non, are uniquely flavorful and colorful due to the spices that are used, often infused into their butter and oils.
What Is Niter Kibbeh (ንጥር ቅቤ)
Niter Kibbeh is a spiced, clarified butter that is absolutely essential to nearly any Ethiopian and/or Eritrean dishes that aren’t vegan,, which are also culturally popular. When making an Ethiopian dish that calls for butter, niter kibbeh is generally what is being called for. It already has many of the spices used in Ethiopian cooking and therefore adds a little more depth to the dish. If you try to make an Ethiopian dish and aren’t getting quite the correct flavor, using regular butter might be the reason why. Also, if you are making Indian food that requires ghee, this works as an excellent substitute.
Main Recipe
Niter Kibbeh
This recipe has been adapted from DaringGourmet.com for use by the Brown Deer Library Cookbook Club
Makes: 2 cups Prep Time: 15 min. Cook Time: 1 hr. Total Time: 1 hr. 15 min.
Ingredients
1 pound unsalted butter, cubed
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
3 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 2-inch cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 black cardamom pods (not the green variety)
3 whole cloves
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Optional: 1 Tbsp each besobela & kosseret (traditional, but can be hard to find in the West, and the recipe can work nearly as well without it.)
Directions
Toast the whole spices over medium heat in a dry skillet for a few minutes until very fragrant. Be careful not to scorch the spices or they will become bitter. Set aside.
Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring it to an extremely low simmer. Continue to simmer over low for at least one hour or up to 90 minutes. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO BURN THE BUTTER. If it burns it will be bitter and there is no salvaging it.
Pour everything through a fine-mesh cheesecloth. (No need to skim off the foam, everything will be removed during straining.) Pour the niter kibbeh into a jar, let it cool, and cover so that it is airtight. It will keep at room temperature for several weeks, in the fridge for a few months, and even longer in the freezer (it will be hard in the fridge and freezer, let it come to room temp for easy scooping). Makes about 2 cups.
Wondering what to do with your niter kibbeh? Besides using it as you would butter, here are a few extra Ethiopian dishes.
Bonus Recipe #1
Doro Wat
Probably one of the most famous recipes for which Ethiopia is known.
This recipe has been adapted from DaringGourmet.com for use by the Brown Deer Library Cookbook Club
Servings: 6 Prep Time: 10 min. Cook Time: 2 hr. 30 min. Total Time: 4 hr. 40 min.
Ingredients
3 lbs chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces, or 3 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons niter kibbeh
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cups yellow onions finely minced to a chunky puree in food processor
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
1/4 cup Ethiopian berbere
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup Tej Ethiopian honey wine, if you have it, or white wine mixed with 1 teaspoon honey
1 cup chicken stock
4 hard-boiled eggs pierced all over with fork about 1/4 inch deep
Directions
Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and pour lemon juice over. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Heat the niter kibbeh or butter along with the olive oil in a Dutch oven. Add the onions and saute, covered, over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon butter and continue to saute, covered, for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the berbere and the 2 remaining tablespoons of butter and saute, covered, over low heat for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the chicken, broth, salt and wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Adjust the seasonings, adding more berbere according to heat preference. Add the boiled eggs and simmer on low heat, covered, for another 15 minutes.
Half or quarter the eggs and arrange on the plates with the stew. Serve hot with injera, bread or rice.
Bonus Recipe #2
Tibs
This recipe has been adapted from SeriousEats.com for use by the Brown Deer Library Cookbook Club
Servings: 2-3 Cook Time: 45 min.
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 (see note)
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
Optional: green pepper
Directions
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.
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.
Toss beef with warm sauce, stir in lemon juice, and serve immediately.
Bonus Recipe #3
Injera
The basis for much of Ethiopian food, this flat bread is traditionally made with teff flour (depending on the type, you might get slightly different appearances and tastes). Luckily we have a way to make it without. Unfortunately, it therefore isn't quite as authentic as we usually strive for. But feel free to experiment. If you do manage to get your hands on teff, the basic ingredients are just teff and water and time.
This recipe has been adapted from MyLittleKitchen.com and for use by the Brown Deer Library Cookbook Club
Ingredients
1 cup warm water (about 105 degrees F)
1 (1 1/4 ounce packet fast-acting instant yeast)
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Pour the warm water into a large bowl and sprinkle with the yeast.
Sift the flour into the bowl, and add 1.5 cups of water and whisk until your batter is nice and smooth. Cover the bowl (plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel) and allow the batter to sit for 10 minutes.
Add the salt and stir to combine.
To make the individual injera flatbreads, place a large lidded nonstick skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, ladle some (I start with about 1/2 cup) of the batter into the pan (as you would pancakes) and then swirl the pan in circular motions to create a thin, even coating (like crepes). You can make them as large or small as you like – up to you. Also, it’s okay if they’re not perfectly round.
Put the lid on the pan and let the injera cook through. It will bubble up and peel away from the pan easily when it’s done. No flipping required. Repeat with the remaining batter, stirring the batter in between flatbreads. I pile them on top of each other, which keeps them soft and warm.
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