Sauteed spiced beef strips rolled in injera with fresh vegetables, a portable take on Ethiopia's popular tibs dish for a quick lunch.
This wrap takes tibs, Ethiopia's quickly sauteed spiced meat dish, and rolls it into injera for an easy, portable lunch that captures the same bold, berbere-forward flavor in a more casual format. Thin strips of beef are seared hot and fast with onion, garlic and jalapeno, developing good color and a slightly charred edge before being seasoned with berbere spice for real depth. Wrapped in a piece of injera along with fresh tomato and onion, this format makes tibs easy to eat on the go, the injera's slightly tangy flavor complementing the spiced beef within.
Serves 4
Heat niter kibbeh or oil in a hot skillet and sear the beef strips over high heat until browned but still tender, about 3-4 minutes; remove.
Add sliced onion, garlic and jalapeno to the same pan, cooking until softened and lightly browned, about 6 minutes.
Return the beef to the pan, add berbere spice and salt, tossing everything together over high heat for 2 minutes.
Sear the beef in a very hot pan for a short time β overcooking thin strips of sirloin quickly turns them tough.
Warm the injera briefly if needed.
Fill each piece of injera with the spiced beef, fresh tomato and red onion.
Roll or fold and serve immediately.
Sear the beef quickly over high heat and don't overcook it, since thin strips of sirloin toughen fast if left on the heat too long.
Use genuinely fresh injera if possible, since it's more pliable and easier to roll around the filling than older, drier pieces.
Adjust the jalapeno and berbere to your heat tolerance, since both contribute significant spice to this dish.
Chicken can substitute for beef using the same technique and spicing.
A version wrapped in a regular flour tortilla instead of injera is a more accessible option if injera isn't available.
Adding a bit of rosemary to the saute, as in traditional tibs, gives extra aromatic depth.
Cooked beef tibs keep refrigerated up to 3 days; assemble fresh wraps rather than storing pre-rolled ones, since injera softens further once filled.
Tibs represents a quicker, more casual style of Ethiopian cooking, and wrapping it in injera for portability reflects the practical, everyday adaptation of traditional Ethiopian flavors into more modern, grab-and-go formats.
Yes, though you'll lose injera's distinctive tangy flavor that traditionally pairs so well with Ethiopian spiced meats.
Regular butter or oil works as a substitute, though you'll lose some of the spiced complexity niter kibbeh provides.
It was likely overcooked or sliced too thick β slice the beef thin against the grain and sear it only briefly over high heat.
Per serving (300g / 10.6 oz) Β· 4 servings total
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