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Kitfo
Kitfo — Gurage minced beef warmed in spiced butter with mitmita, cooked through for home cooks
Kitfo comes from the Gurage people south-west of Addis Ababa, and it is the dish Ethiopians order at special kitfo houses or make for Meskel, the September feast of the True Cross. Lean beef is finely minced and stirred with warm spiced butter and mitmita, a hot chilli and cardamom powder. In Ethiopia it is often eaten raw (tire) or barely warmed (leb leb), but raw or lightly warmed minced beef is not safe for home cooks: this version is cooked to 71 °C, which keeps the buttery, fiery flavour with a soft, crumbly texture. Serve with ayib, braised greens and injera or kocho. Chef's tip: mince the beef yourself from a single lean cut if you can, and keep it fridge-cold until the moment it goes into the pan.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the kitfo
To serve
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Keep the 1 ⅓ lb lean beef in the fridge until you need it, on its own plate away from anything that will be eaten raw. Use a separate board and wash your hands after handling it.
Step 2: Melt the 2 ⅞ oz niter kibbeh (Ethiopian spiced butter) in a wide frying pan over a low heat for 2 minutes until just liquid and fragrant. Don't let it sizzle hard or brown; overheated butter scorches the mitmita and turns it bitter.
2 minStep 3: Stir in the 2 tsp mitmita (Ethiopian chilli powder) and ½ tsp ground cardamom and let them bloom in the warm butter for 30 seconds.
1 minStep 4: Add the beef and the ¾ tsp salt and turn the heat to medium. Stir and break up the meat with a wooden spoon so every bit is coated in the red butter.
2 minStep 5: Keep stirring for 5–7 minutes until no pink remains and the meat reaches 160°F (160 °F) in the centre of the pan on a probe thermometer. It should look soft and crumbly, not dry or browned. Leb leb (barely warmed) and raw kitfo stop well short of this, which is why they are not recommended at home.
7 minStep 6: Take off the heat, taste for salt and heat, and serve at once with ayib, greens and extra mitmita on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 1 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kitfo take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
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