The pinnacle of Ethiopian raw meat preparation. It is an exercise in extreme ingredient purity. Lean, highest-quality beef is finely minced (never ground in a machine), then gently warmed (not cooked) in aggressively spiced clarified butter (niter kibbeh) and mitmita spice.
One-click swap-outs. Original is never overwritten.
Nudge the dish. Each click stages a micro-adjustment you can pick up at the stove.
No tweaks staged. Click a direction to add a suggestion.
We'll highlight steps to skip, parallelize, or make ahead.
Click any ingredient to explore its profile, pairings, and related recipes.
Highlighted techniques open a deep-dive. Time phrases include a built-in timer.
Mince the beef. Using a very sharp, heavy knife, finely mince the cold beef by hand. Do not use a meat grinder, which crushes the fibers into a paste. The texture should be small, distinct pieces.
Prepare the butter. In a small saucepan, gently melt the niter kibbeh over very low heat until it is warm and liquid, but absolutely NOT hot. If it is hot, it will cook the beef.
Combine. Place the minced raw beef in a bowl. Pour the warm niter kibbeh over the meat.
Spice. Add the mitmita, korarima, and salt. Use your hands or a spoon to gently massage and mix the spiced butter evenly throughout the meat.
Serve. Serve immediately. 'Tire' (completely raw) is traditional. For 'Leb leb' (slightly warmed), place the bowl over a pot of barely water for 1-2 minutes while stirring. It must not turn brown.
Accompaniments. Serve with injera, kocho ( false banana bread), and ayibe (mild, crumbly cheese to cut the heat).
NaN%Hot polenta spreads across a sheet tray to set firm, then gets cut into shapes, dredged through cornmeal for a gritty crust, and pan-fried until the exterior crisps against the tender interior.
1h · Serves 4 · 3 ingredients
NaN%Fall/Winter
1h · Serves 4 · 8 ingredients · 419 cal
NaN%White wine and olive oil come together with lemon or orange zest, fresh herbs, parsley sprigs, and black pepper in a simple stir-together marinade suited to most vegetables — halve the oil for fruit.
1h · Serves 4 · 6 ingredients · 261 cal
