Niter Kibbeh, in solid and liquid forms
Niter Kibbeh is the cooking medium for many Ethiopian dishes, providing a flavorful undertone to more aggressive spices. It should be fragrant, herbaceous in taste but without the heat of berbere or other red pepper. The recipe is very flexible and can be modified for your preferences and your pantry. My version is based on Kittee Berns’ Ye’qimem Zeyet (spiced vegetable oil) in Teff Love with only minor tweaks. Makes a little less than a pint.
Ingredients:
1 lb unsalted butter
⅓ cup minced red onion or shallots
2 T garlic, chopped
1 T dried koseret OR Mexican oregano* (optional)
1 T dried besobela OR holy basil** (optional)
1 T peeled and grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon whole ajwain seeds*** (optional) OR dried thyme leaves
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon whole fenugreek seeds
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon whole nigella seeds (optional; see page 6)
6 fresh basil leaves (optional)
6 whole cloves
1/8 t grated nutmeg
Method: melt the butter in a heavy saucepan under very low heat; it should be barely bubbling when rendered. Add all other ingredient and simmer under very low heat for one hour, stirring occasionally to make sure the bottom is not getting too hot. Remove larger pieces of spices with a slotted spoon then strain through cheesecloth or paper towel into a clean, warm pint jar. Will keep quite a while in your refrigerator.
*Koseret is a flowering herb growing in mountainous regions of Ethiopia. You’ll probably have a hard time finding it unless you have access to a good African store. Mexican (not regular) oregano is from the same family so I’ve offered it as a replacement.
**Besobela tastes and smells like thyme mixed with lavender. It can be found in health food stores or bulk spice departments where it’s sold as tulsi or holy basil.
***Kittee Berns uses ajwain in a number of her recipes so it’s worth seeking out in a specialty spice department. Its bitter taste is similar to, but not the same as, dried thyme. Another name for ajwain is “bishop’s weed”; this is a very common invasive plant in the Northeast and I’d be interested if any readers have successfully harvested the seeds.
