Kitfo Ethiopian Steak Tartare

Why We Love This Ethiopian Kitfo Recipe

Note: This recipe features raw or undercooked beef. It is not recommended that pregnant women or people with compromised immune systems eat meat that has not been properly and thoroughly cooked. Ethiopian cuisine is one of our favorite global foods to make at home. Partly because it’s hard to come by unless you live in certain cities, and partly because it’s such a rich family experience to sit down and tear injera bread together. Enjoying a plate loaded with hearty aromatic dishes isn’t just having a meal – it’s creating a memory. Kitfo Beef Tartare is a common dish usually found on an Ethiopian sharing platter. It is raw high-quality beef that’s finely minced and seasoned with spices and clarified butter. The taste is savory and salty; perfect umami with a wonderfully soft melt-in-your-mouth texture. You can serve Kitfo as a true raw steak tartare, or give it a quick sear in a hot skillet to partially cook it. Either way you’ll certainly want to enjoy fresh and meaty beef tartare as a special dish alongside a bounty of east African-inspired sides!

Ingredients You Need

This Ethiopian recipe only includes a handful of ingredients, which are mostly vibrant spices. To make authentic Kitfo you need:

Beef filet – well-trimmed Anchovy paste – for a unique salty and savory flavor Seasonings – cayenne pepper, salt, garlic powder, ground cardamom Clarified butter – or ghee

You can add more or less cayenne pepper to taste, depending on how spicy a dish you want. But even if you prefer a mild beef tartare I suggest you add at least a smidge of the spice for great flavor.

How to Make Ethiopian Beef Tartare

There are just 3 easy steps in this Kitfo recipe: Serve the freshly prepared steak tartare room temperature, or seal in a container and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or more) to enjoy cold. If you are enjoying with other hot dishes, I recommend you serve without refrigerating for the perfect mouth-feel combination.

How to Make Cooked Kitfo

If you’d like to prepare Ethiopian Kitfo as a cooked dish, simply sear in a skillet on medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. For the best flavor, I suggest that you don’t completely brown the steak, so that there’s a least a bit of “tartare” remaining. Once cooked slightly, kitfo is turned into what is known as “lebleb”. But again, as noted at the beginning of this post please be aware that undercooked meat is not considered safe by the CDC for pregnant women to eat.

Tips & Tricks

Do not use already ground beef! In order to safely eat raw beef, it needs to be a high quality cut of beef that is ground in a food processor shortly before eating it. Don’t over ground. Since you are processing the meat yourself in a food processor, just be careful not to grind it too much or it can become tough from over working the meat. Spice it up! The key to making delicious homemade kitfo is adding all the seasonings and spices. Anchovy paste adds a lovely, savory flavor while cayenne adds a bit of a kick!