East African

Kitfo

Name: Kitfo
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: East African
Ingredients: 1 lb top round or tenderloin beef (extremely fresh; zero fat); 4 tbsp niter kibbeh (clarified spiced butter); 1 tbsp mitmita (spiced chili powder); 1/2 tsp cardamom; 1/2 tsp salt

Ethiopia's celebrated tartare — finely minced raw beef tossed in mitmita chili and niter kibbeh, intensely spiced, buttery, and rich. Bold, ceremonial, unforgettable.

15 minutes

Serves 3

Main

Contains common allergens

Dairy

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Instructions

6 steps

1
Trim the beef of all visible fat and silverskin. Ensure your knife and cutting board are immaculately clean.

2
Using a very sharp knife, finely mince the beef by hand until it resembles a coarse paste. (Do not use a food processor).
3
In a small pan, gently melt the niter kibbeh over low heat. Stir in the mitmita, cardamom, and salt.
4
Remove the warm spiced butter mixture from the heat and let it cool slightly.
5
Place the minced beef in a clean bowl and pour the warm spiced butter over it. Mix thoroughly with your hands or a fork.
6
Serve immediately. For *leb leb* (slightly cooked) style, toss the mixture briefly in a warm pan for 1 minute before serving.

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