Yebeg Tibs
የበግ ጥብስ·(yeh-beg tibs)
The 20-Minute Sizzle: Tibs for Busy Tuesdays
Drop a handful of cubed supermarket lamb shoulder into a smoking cast-iron skillet, letting the metal sear the edges so the hiss of the fat signals a broken fast. This isn't the fake Hollywood version drowned in sweet wine; real tibs is a blazing fast stir-fry requiring just twenty minutes, built on spiced butter and a functional trick: dry-roasting the onions so the meat actually sears instead of steaming in its own juice, meant for tearing off injera to scoop up every drop of that violently good, buttery fat. Turn on your exhaust fan and do not walk away.
Ingredients
- boneless lamb leg or shoulder1 1/2 lb
- red onion1 large
- niter kibbeh or ghee4 tbsp
- garlic3 med cloves
- fresh ginger1 tbsp
- berbere spice blend1 1/2 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- jalapeño peppers2 med
- fresh rosemary2 med sprigs
- Roma tomato1 med
Method
- 01
Season the lamb with salt and pepper, keeping all other ingredients within arm's reach.
Tibs moves incredibly fast once the fire is lit. Have your mise en place fully sorted before the pan hits the heat.
- 02
Place your largest, heaviest skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke.
Cast iron is the ideal weapon here. It mimics the thermal mass of the traditional unglazed clay shekla, ensuring your meat sears rather than stews.
- 03
Toss the sliced onions directly into the bone-dry pan.
Do not add oil or butter yet. Dry-roasting for 2 to 3 minutes burns off excess water and slightly chars the edges—an essential technique that keeps the pan blazing hot for the lamb.
- 04
Push the charred onions to the periphery and drop in the spiced butter.
Once it bubbles, fry the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds until deeply fragrant, then stir in the berbere to build a fierce, aromatic paste right in the pan.
- 05
Crank the heat to its absolute maximum and drop the lamb in a single layer.
Let it sit completely untouched for 1 minute to forge a crust, then toss viciously for another 3 to 4 minutes until browned outside but still tender and juicy inside.
- 06
Kill the heat and immediately toss in the rosemary, jalapeños, and tomatoes.
The residual heat extracts the piney oils from the rosemary and takes the raw edge off the peppers, leaving them with a vital crunch that cuts right through the rich meat.
- 07
Serve immediately, straight from the hot skillet.
Adjust the salt if needed, and eat it aggressively with fresh injera or whatever flatbread you can get your hands on.
Notes
The weeknight spiced butter hack.
If you don't have a batch of authentic Niter Kibbeh sitting in the fridge, melt your 4 tablespoons of store-bought ghee with a tiny pinch each of garlic powder, ground ginger, turmeric, and ground cardamom before using.