Cooked Kitfo

Cooked Kitfo (Kitfo Yebesele)

Kitfo is a Gurage dish of finely minced beef, mitmita and spiced fat. It is traditionally served raw or leb leb — lightly warmed — but also yebesele, well done. Beta Israel traditionally avoided raw meat, so raw kitfo should not be presented as an Ethiopian Jewish dish. The recipe here is cooked to 71°C (160°F) and uses kosher meat and pareve oil.

Prep time: 15 minutes · Cooking time: 15 minutes · Yield: 6 servings · Difficulty: easy

Ground meat has no “sear the outside”

Bacteria can spread through the whole mass during grinding. So home-ground or store-bought ground beef is cooked to 71°C (160°F); lemon, salt and mitmita do not disinfect it. Keep it refrigerated until the moment it goes in the pan.

Ingredients (for 6 servings)

• 900 grams fresh kosher ground beef, 10%–15% fat
• 100 ml light olive oil or canola oil
• 3 garlic cloves and 15 grams ginger, crushed
• 1–2 teaspoons mitmita, or 1 teaspoon berbere with a pinch of chili and cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground korarima
• Salt and black pepper
• Gomen and injera for serving

Choosing ingredients and substitutes

Mitmita is hotter than berbere and is sold in Ethiopian shops; start with a teaspoon. Regular kitfo uses niter kibbeh and ayib, a fresh cheese, but that combination is not suitable for a kosher meat dish. Spiced oil and gomen give a complete plate without dairy.

Method

1. Spice the oil. Heat the oil over low heat with the garlic and ginger for 3 minutes, without browning. Remove from the heat and stir in the mitmita and korarima.
2. Cook the beef. Heat a wide pan, add the beef and crumble it. Cook for 7–10 minutes, stirring, until there are no pink areas.
3. Measure. Check for 71°C (160°F) in several spots. Add the spiced oil and cook for just one more minute.
4. Serve immediately. Adjust the salt and serve on injera with gomen. Don’t leave cooked ground meat at room temperature for more than two hours.

Nutrition facts and calorie estimate

The calculation assumes beef at about 215 calories per 100 grams and all the oil. A different fat content will change the result; injera and gomen are counted separately.

Variations and tips

• Want a finer texture? Ask the butcher for a double grind close to purchase.
• No mitmita? Mix berbere, ground chili and a little cardamom; it is a substitute, not an identical blend.
• Keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge; reheat once until steaming.

Summary

The cooked version keeps the seasoning of kitfo without the risk of raw beef and without attributing it to the Beta Israel tradition. A serving is about 465 calories. For cubed meat, see tibs.