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Ethiopian-Style Sautéed Beef, Onion and Chilies

Ethiopian-Style Sautéed Beef, Onion and Chilies

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    30 minutes
  • Rating

This quick sauté is based on an Ethiopian dish called zilzil tibs, in which strips of meat (zilzil) are fried (tibs) with onion and peppers. Before cooking, we season the slices of beef generously with berbere, the best-known Ethiopian spice blend, along with garlic, rosemary and a couple additional spices. Look for berbere, a rust-red mix because of its dried-chili base, in well-stocked supermarkets and spice shops. At the end of cooking, we add a splash of white wine—a nod to tej, or honey wine, that’s sometimes used in Ethiopian cooking—to blend with the meat’s juices and make a light, simple sauce. If you can find it, injera, a moist, spongy, slightly sour Ethiopian flatbread, is the ideal accompaniment, but rice, naan or lavash would be good, too.

Tip

Don’t slice the flank steak with the grain or the meat will be tough and chewy. The muscle fibers of flank steak are long and unidirectional. Be sure to slice each 3-inch section on the diagonal and across the fibers for the tenderest texture.

Ingredients
  • 1 ½

    pounds flank steak, cut with the grain into 3-inch sections, then thinly sliced against the grain on the diagonal

  • 2

    tablespoons berbere

  • 4

    medium garlic cloves, minced

  • 2

    rosemary sprigs

  • ½

    teaspoon ground fenugreek (optional)

  • ¼

    teaspoon ground cardamom

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 2

    tablespoons ghee or neutral oil

  • 1

    large red onion, halved and sliced ¼ inch thick

  • ¼

    cup dry white wine

  • 2

    jalapeño chilies, stemmed and sliced into thin rings

Step 1

In a medium bowl, toss the beef with the berbere, garlic, rosemary, fenugreek (if using), cardamom and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Let stand for about 10 minutes.

Step 2

In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the ghee until barely smoking. Add the beef and cook, stirring just once or twice, until the meat is only just slightly pink and has released some of its juices, 2 to 4 minutes.

Add the onion and wine, then cook, stirring often, until the onion is wilted but not fully softened, about 3 minutes. Add the jalapeños and continue to cook, stirring, until the beef is tender and slightly saucy, 1 to 2 minutes.

Step 3

Off heat, remove and discard the rosemary, then taste and season with salt and pepper.