Beets Tibs

About This Recipe

Key sir — beets — bring a jolt of magenta to the earth-toned Ethiopian platter, and this tibs treatment is the liveliest way to serve them. Pre-boiled beet cubes are tossed over high heat with onions, green pepper, ginger, and niter kibbeh until their edges caramelize, concentrating their sweetness against the chili and spiced butter. On a beyaynetu platter the beets sit alongside golden kik alicha and deep-red misir wat, eaten by tearing injera and pinching up a little of everything; made with oil instead of butter, the dish is fully vegan and a regular on Orthodox fasting (tsom) menus. It is simple, fast, and almost impossible to make look unappetizing.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 gbeets, boiled, peeled, and cubed
• 3 tbspniter kibbeh
• 1 largeonion, diced
• 1 greenbell pepper, diced
• 1 tbspfresh ginger, grated
• 2 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1/2 tspground chili
• 1 tspsalt

Instructions

1. 1

   Sauté aromatics

   Heat the niter kibbeh in a wide skillet over medium-high heat and cook the onion for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden at the edges and sweet. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and ground chili and cook 1 minute more, just until the spices bloom in the fat without scorching.

   Boil the beets whole and unpeeled up to two days ahead — the skins slip off under cold water and the dish becomes a 15-minute job.

2. 2

   Add beets

   Add the cubed beets and diced bell pepper and spread them across the pan in a rough single layer. Sauté over high heat for 5–7 minutes, tossing only every minute or so — letting the cubes sit undisturbed between stirs is what builds the caramelized, lightly crisped edges that define tibs.

   Make sure the beet cubes are dry before they hit the pan; wet beets steam and never caramelize.

3. 3

   Season and serve

   Season with salt, toss once more, and taste — the balance should be sweet from the beets, warm from the ginger, with a low hum of chili. Serve hot or at room temperature on injera, where the magenta juices bleeding into the bread are part of the charm.

Variations

• •

  Key sir dinich: the classic combination — add boiled potato and carrot cubes with the beets for Ethiopia's most popular beet dish.

• •

  Add a squeeze of lemon and a handful of chopped cilantro off the heat for a brighter, salad-like finish.

• •

  Spice it up with half a teaspoon of berbere instead of plain chili for smoky complexity.

• •

  Cold beet salad style: toss the cooked beets with raw red onion, lime juice, and a spoon of the spiced butter, then chill.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days; the flavor actually improves overnight. Serve cold, at room temperature, or quickly reheated in a hot pan.

Frequently Asked Questions