Ethiopian · beginner
Ethiopian Spiced Black-Eyed Pea Stew With Niter Kibbeh
A rich and savory legume stew using black-eyed peas simmered with onions, berbere spice blend, garlic, and finished with fragrant Ethiopian spiced clarified butter.
- PREP TIME
- 10 min
- COOK TIME
- 25 min
- SERVES
- 4
LET’S MAKE IT
Step by step
- 01
Heat the spiced butter in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat until melted and fragrant.
- 02
Add the diced red onions and dry-sauté for 8 to 10 minutes until softened and translucent, adding a tablespoon of stock if sticking occurs.
- 03
Stir in minced garlic, ginger, and berbere spice blend, cooking for 1 minute until highly aromatic.
- 04
Add the tomato paste and stir continuously for 2 minutes to caramelize the sugars.
- 05
Pour in the rinsed black-eyed peas and vegetable stock, stirring well to combine and scraping up any browned bits from the skillet base.
- 06
Bring stew to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
- 07
Season with salt, stir in sliced jalapeño pepper rings, and simmer uncovered for 3 additional minutes before serving.
- 08
Serve hot with warm flatbread or brown rice.
A LITTLE KITCHEN KNOW-HOW
Slow Onion Caramelization
Cooking finely diced onions over low heat without excess fat first breaks down cell walls and sweetens the base naturally before spices are bloomed.
Notes from the kitchen
- Dry-sautéing red onions slowly before adding fat helps build the signature deep base flavor of traditional Ethiopian braises.
- Adjust the berbere quantity depending on your preferred heat tolerance level.
- Original home-cooking adaptation inspired by Ethiopian; regional versions vary.
- Use halal-certified meat, poultry, stock, sauces, cheese and other processed ingredients. Check labels and avoid cross-contamination. Recipe screening is not halal certification.
