Here’s our kitfo after a toss in niter kibbeh. Just a shade removed from raw.
If you like steak tartare you’ll probably enjoy kitfo, a spiced raw meat dish which is traditionally eaten in Ethiopia to break the vegetarian fasting period. As with steak tartare, you need to be confident of the source of the meat and the food safety procedures of your butcher. If you’re more cautious, it’s acceptable to cook it a little or a lot, to the doneness stage of ground beef you’d use in a pasta sauce or sloppy joes. We landed just on the uphill side of raw, with some bits slightly cooked but still risky. Allow ¼ lb per person.
Ingredients:
1 lb coarsely ground beef, fat and connective tissue removed
4 T niter kibbeh (Ethiopian clarified butter)
½ t ground cardamom
½ t cayenne OR 1 t berbere seasoning
1 t salt
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
Method: heat the niter kibbeh to liquid stage; add garlic and spices and heat over low flame until fragrant. Spoon over raw beef and mix lightly. Serve immediately with injera for scooping up the bites. Kitfo is traditionally served with gomen, or seasoned collard greens, and a mild cheese akin to ricotta.
Here is a blog post with a bit more background on kitfo. Be sure to read all the comments!
Great read and yes I did go through all the comments, Did you grind your own beef? was it once or twice through?
Yes I did. I used sirloin and ground it in a mini-food processor about 1/3 pound at a time. I wanted a coarse texture so pulsed until I got uniform chunks as you see, then picked out any connective tissue. For larger quantities you’d probably want to use an official meat grinder. I would also be fine buying fresh ground sirloin or round or filet from a butcher if I was confident of the hygiene of their equipment.