Beef Tibs

Serving Size: 10

The sauce in this dish gets its kick from berbere, an Ethiopian chile powder fragrant with cardamom, fenugreek, and clove. Use it once and you'll see why a good chunk of Ethiopian cuisine is built on it.

Recipe by: Max Falkowitz

Cook Times

Active Prep15

Hands-On Cook30

Hands-Off Cook0

Passive0

Total Time45

Recipe Serving Size10

Cooking Tools Required

12-inch skillet, Cutting board, Measuring cups and spoons, Saucepan, Tongs, Top Stove

Ingredients

10 tablespoon ghee
6 onion medium, chopped medium (about 2 cups)
18 clove garlic minced, about 2 tablespoons
6 tablespoon berbere (Ethiopian Spice Blend)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt more or less to taste or dietary preference
3 pound sirloin steak cut into 1-inch cubes, trimmed of excess fat and connective tissue
3 teaspoon avocado oil
3 teaspoon fresh lemon juice more or less to taste

Instructions

Melt ghee in a heavy saucepan on medium heat, then add onions, ginger, garlic, and berbere. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are dark, ruddy, and golden, about 30 minutes. Onions should be at a low sizzle during cooking process. Adjust heat accordingly.
Transfer to food processor and blend until not quite a purée. Return to saucepan, season to taste with salt, and keep warm.
Season beef on all sides generously with kosher salt. Heat oil in a 12-inch cast iron or stainless steel skillet over high heat high until lightly smoking. Add beef in a single layer, leaving plenty of open space in the pan (brown in batches if you don't have a large enough skillet). Cook without moving until well-seared on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip meat cubes with tongs and cook on second side until well seared. Continue to cook meat, stirring and flipping occasionally until desired level of doneness is reached. For rare meat, transfer to saucepan immediately. For medium, cook an additional one to two minutes before transferring to saucepan. For well done, cook up to five more minutes before transferring to saucepan.
Toss beef with warm sauce, stir in lemon juice, and serve immediately.

Reheating Instructions

Heat in the microwave on medium high power until heated through or on the cooktop over medium heat.

Nutrition