Niter Kibbeh, Ethiopian Spiced Butter

Ingredients for making Ethiopian niter kibbeh
Photo by Hank Shaw

Niter kibbeh, Ethiopian spiced butter, is not so much a sauce as a cooking medium, although it does make an intriguing simple sauce for pheasant, quail or white fish.

Niter Kibbeh (NIT-r KEB-beh) is the aromatic, clarified butter we cooked with at the Eritrean restaurant Horn of Africa I worked at in Madison many years ago. We had a giant tub of it and would make it by the kilo every week or so.

Eritrea, in case you don’t know, is a country along the Red Sea that was once part of Ethiopia; its cooking is very similar. Exact recipes for Ethiopian standards don’t exist, so it’s like curry or a Bolognese sauce — every cook has his or her own recipe.

The recipe that follows is mine, but you can find other equally authentic ones.

Our niter kibbeh at the restaurant absolutely required four things (other than butter): minced shallots, toasted cardamom, fenugreek and turmeric. Oh, and one other thing — time. Slow cooking is essential to this concoction.

Other than it being indispensable in Ethiopian cooking, niter kibbeh adds a mysterious dimension to whatever you cook in it. I especially like to sear fish in it, or poach white meat poultry. A big spoonful dropped into a stew also adds a certain exotic touch.

As a side, note, I have made niter kibbeh with both duck fat and lard as the medium, instead of butter, and it turned out really well. I imagine you could even make a vegan version by using coconut oil or vegetable oil, although I have not tried it.

Once made, niter kibbeh keeps for many months in the fridge, and it freezes well.

Spices and herbs needed to make niter kibbeh, Ethiopian butter.
5 from 3 votes

Ethiopian Butter

Our spiced butter, called niter kebbeh, at the Ethiopian restaurant I worked at absolutely required four things (other than butter): minced shallots, toasted cardamom, fenugreek and turmeric. Oh, and one other thing -- time. Slow cooking is essential to this concoction.
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: Ethiopian
Servings: 16
Author: Hank Shaw
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound unsalted butter
  • 2 minced shallots, about 1/4 cup
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
  • 12 to 15 crushed cardamom pods
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 1 piece cinnamon stick, about an inch long
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek

Instructions 

  • Toast the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon in a dry pan over medium heat until they are aromatic, about a minute.
  • Cut the butter into cubes.
  • Toss everything into a heavy pot and turn the heat on low. Let this come to a bare simmer and cook gently for at least 30 minutes. We cooked ours at least an hour. It is vital that the milk solids do not burn. If they do, you have ruined the butter. Watch for browning, and when you see it, turn off the heat.
  • Strain through cheesecloth and store in a clean glass jar. It'll last 6 months in the fridge, at least a week on the counter, and forever in the freezer.

Notes

This recipe makes about 2 cups.

Nutrition

Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 714IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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