Tibs

About This Recipe

Tibs (ጥብስ) is Ethiopia's answer to a stir-fry: small pieces of meat — most often lamb, but also beef or goat — sautéed at high heat in niter kibbeh with onions, tomatoes, rosemary and jalapeño or mitmita chilli until just cooked and still slightly pink at the centre. The dish varies enormously across Ethiopia: Gored Gored in Addis Ababa uses large cubes of raw beef barely seared; Awaze Tibs is slathered in the fiery awaze paste; Shekla Tibs is served in the clay pot it was cooked in, still sizzling at the table. What unites them all is the quality of the meat, the aromatic heat of the spices and the speed of cooking — tibs is not a braise but a quick, lively sauté that retains the meat's own flavour. It is served on injera with extra jalapeños and a small dish of mitmita for those who want more heat.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 700 gboneless lamb shoulder or leg(cut into 3cm cubes)
• 3 tablespoonsniter kibbeh or clarified butter
• 2 largeonions(sliced into half-moons)
• 2 mediumtomatoes(roughly chopped)
• 2jalapeño or long green chillies(sliced)
• 4 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 teaspoonmitmita or cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoonberbere spice blend
• 2 sprigsfresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoonsoy sauce or Worcestershire sauce(optional for depth)
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper
• 1 teaspoonsalt

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the lamb

   Toss the lamb cubes with the berbere, mitmita, black pepper and salt. Mix well and leave to marinate at room temperature for 15–20 minutes.

2. 2

   Sauté the onions

   Heat the niter kibbeh in a large, heavy skillet or wok over high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for 6–8 minutes until softened and starting to colour at the edges.

   High heat is essential for tibs — if the pan isn't smoking hot, the meat will steam rather than sear.

3. 3

   Sear the lamb

   Push the onions to the side. Add the lamb in a single layer and sear undisturbed for 2 minutes until browned on one side. Toss and cook for another 2–3 minutes. The lamb should be browned but still slightly pink inside.

4. 4

   Add aromatics

   Add the garlic, rosemary sprigs, jalapeños and tomatoes. Toss everything together and cook over high heat for 3–4 minutes until the tomatoes soften and release their juice. Add soy sauce if using and toss once more.

5. 5

   Serve sizzling

   Remove the rosemary sprigs. Transfer to a serving dish or, for the full experience, a preheated clay dish. Serve immediately on injera with extra sliced jalapeños and a small dish of mitmita on the side.

Variations

• •

  Beef tibs uses the same method with sirloin or tenderloin cut into strips.

• •

  Awaze Tibs coats the meat in awaze — a wet paste of berbere, tej honey wine and black pepper.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Best eaten immediately. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 days but the meat will continue cooking on reheating — warm very briefly.

Frequently Asked Questions