Awaze Siga Tibs
አዋዜ ስጋ ጥብስ·(ah-wah-zay see-gah teebs)
The 20-Minute Sizzle: Tibs for Busy Tuesdays
Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., the beef hisses against a smoking cast-iron skillet—true tibs is a lightning-fast stir-fry meant to be devoured immediately with torn pieces of injera. We bypass the hours of clarifying butter by spiking high-quality ghee with cardamom and fenugreek, letting a spoonful of awaze paste bind with the meat's natural juices to form a glossy glaze. Have the injera waiting.
Before you start
Mix the quick awaze paste.
Whisk together the berbere, red wine, honey, one tablespoon of neutral oil, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl until it forms a thick, smooth paste.
Hack the spiced butter.
Stir the ground cardamom and fenugreek directly into the ghee to instantly mimic the flavor profile of traditional niter kibbeh without hours of simmering.
Ingredients
- authentic Ethiopian berbere blend3 tbsp
- dry red wine2 tbsp
- honey1 tsp
- neutral cooking oil2 tbsp
- salt1 pinch
- fast-cooking beef like ribeye or sirloin tips1 1/2 lb
- red onion1 med
- jalapeño or serrano pepper1 large
- fresh rosemary sprig1 large
- roma tomato1 med
- ghee2 tbsp
- ground cardamom1 pinch
- ground fenugreek1 pinch
Method
- 01
Sear the beef hard and fast without overcrowding the pan.
Place a heavy cast-iron skillet over high heat until it smokes, add one tablespoon of the neutral oil, and sear the beef in a single layer for two minutes undisturbed to build a dark crust before tossing for one minute more. Remove the rare meat and any juices to a bowl.
- 02
Blister the aromatics in the residual beef fat.
Lower the heat to medium-high and toss in the sliced red onion and whole rosemary sprig, sautéeing vigorously for three minutes until the onions soften and the rosemary releases its piney essential oils into the air.
- 03
Glaze the meat with the awaze paste.
Return the beef and its resting juices to the skillet along with the jalapeño rings, chopped tomato, and the prepared awaze paste, tossing continuously for two minutes so the heat wakes up the berbere and binds everything into a glossy coating.
- 04
Fold in the spiced butter entirely off the heat.
Remove the pan from the stove completely and swirl the spiced ghee directly into the hot beef until it melts, a crucial grandmother's secret that prevents the delicate aromatics from incinerating on the cast iron.
Notes
Skip the canned tomatoes entirely.
Many diaspora recipes ruin the dish by turning it into a wet stew, but authentic tibs relies purely on the meat juices and awaze paste for its rich glaze.
Source proper berbere and fresh injera.
Standard supermarket chili powder is an insulting substitute for authentic berbere; buy the real blend online or from an Ethiopian market, and pick up fresh injera locally to scoop up the sizzling meat.