Beef tibs (Ethiopian sautéed beef with rosemary and chilli)
45 min · 45 g protein · 519 cals / serving
The dish Ethiopians order to celebrate: cubes of beef seared fast and hot with onion, jalapeño and tomato, glossed with berbere and a spiced butter scented with fenugreek and cardamom, and finished with fresh rosemary. Scooped up with injera and a sharp tomato salad.
Ingredients
Tibs
- 1 1/2 lb top sirloin steak, trimmed, 2 cm (3/4-inch) cubes
- 2 tsp canola oil
Spiced butter (niter kibbeh)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp ground fenugreek
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- a pinch turmeric
Berbere
- 1 tbsp paprika, sweet
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, ground cayenne; 1/2 tsp for medium
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Tibs
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 3 jalapeño, seeded and cut in strips
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked
- 3/4 tsp salt
Tomato salad (timatim)
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
- 4 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp olive oil
To serve
- 4 injera (one each) injera, or warm flatbread
Steps
- Pat the beef dry. Heat a large heavy skillet until very hot, add the oil and sear the beef in two batches, without stirring for the first minute, 2–3 minutes per batch, until browned outside and still pink inside. Lift onto a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium, add the butter with the fenugreek, cardamom and turmeric and let it foam for 30 seconds: this is a quick niter kibbeh. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook 6–8 minutes, until soft and golden.
- Stir in the paprika, cayenne, coriander, allspice and pepper for 30 seconds, then the chopped tomato, and cook 3 minutes until it collapses into a thick sauce.
- Return the beef and its juices with the jalapeños, rosemary and salt and toss over high heat for 2–3 minutes, just until the beef is hot and coated and the jalapeños are bright. Medium, about 145°F, is traditional; cook to 160°F for well done.
- For the salad, mix the diced tomatoes, onion, lemon juice, oil and a pinch of salt. Serve the tibs sizzling on injera with the salad beside it, tearing off pieces of injera to scoop up the meat.
Good to know
Can I use bought berbere and niter kibbeh?
Yes, and most Ethiopian cooks keep both in the cupboard. Use 1–2 tbsp berbere in place of the spice mix, and 2 tbsp niter kibbeh in place of the butter and its three spices.
Which cut of beef works best?
Sirloin or rump is tender after a quick sear and lean. Ribeye is juicier and richer, at about 45 instead of 59. Avoid stewing cuts: tibs cooks in minutes and they would stay tough.
What else is served with tibs?
Gomen (garlicky collard greens), misir wot or shiro make it a full spread to share, and a little ayib, the fresh Ethiopian cheese, cools the heat.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 116
- Protein
- (35%)
- 10 g
- Fat
- (36%)
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- (29%)
- 9 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 180 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2076 kcal goes into the pot and 2117 g of ingredients comes out as about 1795 g of food: 116 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.