Ethiopian Tibs

By Cuisine Noir and Jen Sim | Published on September 4, 2025

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• 1 ½ pounds beef, chopped into cubes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 3 garlic cloves crushed or grated
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 3 tablespoons berbere, divided
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 3 jalapenos, chopped
• 1/3 cup inter kibbeh clarified butter or ghee
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or a sprig of fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

 

1. Trim off any excess fat from the beef to ensure the meat is not greasy.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper and add it to the hot oil. Cook until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. This will give the stew a rich flavor and color.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the ginger and garlic to the same skillet. Stir them with the beef for a couple of minutes, until fragrant.
4. Add the red onion and 2 tablespoons berbere seasoning, which is a spicy blend of herbs and spices that gives Ethiopian food its distinctive taste. Cook for another few minutes, stirring well to coat the beef and onion with the seasoning.
5. Add the tomatoes and mix everything together. Let it cook for about 7-10 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and juicy. This will create a thick sauce for the stew.
6. Add the jalapeños for some extra heat and flavor. Stir them in and taste the sauce. Adjust the seasoning if needed.
7. Add the kibbeh with remaining berbere seasoning. It will add richness and depth to the stew. You can also add some dried rosemary or fresh rosemary sprigs for a touch of freshness. Stir everything well and let it simmer for a few more minutes until the beef is cooked through and tender.
8. Serve your stew hot with injera, which is a soft and spongy flatbread that you can use to scoop up the stew.

Notes

1. Use a tender cut of beef, such as flank steak, sirloin, or ribeye, and cut it into bite-sized pieces. You can also use lamb if you prefer.

2. Heat the oil well before putting in the beef. This will give it a nice color and taste.

3. To make your own kibbeh, heat unsalted butter on low and remove the foam. Add spices such as cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, fenugreek, turmeric, ginger, garlic and onion. If available, include koseret and besobela, which are Ethiopian herbs. Cook for an hour until the butter is clear and golden. Filter it with a cheesecloth and keep it in a jar in the fridge or freezer. If you don’t have kibbeh, you can use ghee.

4. Berbere is an authentic Ethiopian seasoning that includes ground chili (paprika in this case), mixed with several other ground spices: fenugreek, ginger, garlic, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, allspice. If you don’t have this on hand, feel free to use Ras el Hanout or Morrocan seasoning instead.

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About This Recipe

Tibs is a delicious Ethiopian dish that combines tender beef or lamb with a spicy and fragrant sauce made with berbere, ginger, garlic and butter. This Ethiopian tibs recipes is easy to make and perfect for serving with injera bread or rice.

Meet the Recipe Creator

Based in London, Jen Sim is the founder of Sims Home Kitchen, a food blog where you’ll find tried and tested healthy recipes, world food, dinner, cakes and more. With over hundreds of recipes to choose from, Jen creates each one to be as simple and quick as possible.