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Yebeg tibs, sizzled lamb with rosemary and green chilli
Tibs are pieces of meat seared fast in a hot pan with onion, green chilli and rosemary, the dish Ethiopians order to celebrate on any ordinary day. Yebeg means lamb; we cook it hard so the edges catch, finish it with mitmita (a hot bird’s eye chilli blend) and bring it to the table still sizzling.
- 30 minutes
- Prep 15 minutes
- Cook 15 minutes
- Serves 4
Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.
Ingredients
- 600g lamb leg steaks, trimmed and cut into 2cm pieces
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 green chillies (such as jalapeño), cut into long strips
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 large tomato, cut into thin wedges
- Half a teaspoon mitmita (a hot Ethiopian chilli blend with cardamom, from world-food shops), or chilli flakes
- Black pepper
Let's cook
- Pat the lamb dry with kitchen paper and season it with the salt. Dry meat browns; wet meat stews.
- Heat a large heavy frying pan or cast iron pan on a high heat for 2 minutes until very hot. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil.
- Add half the lamb in a single layer and leave it alone for 2 minutes so it browns well, then turn and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more until browned all over. Lift it onto a plate and cook the rest the same way.
- Turn the heat down to medium high and add the last tablespoon of oil, the onion and the rosemary. Cook for 3 minutes until the onion softens at the edges and starts to char.
- Add the garlic and green chillies and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomato and cook for 1 minute more, just until it softens.
- Put the lamb and its juices back in the pan with the mitmita and a grind of pepper and toss for 1 to 2 minutes until everything is hot and glossy. The lamb should be well browned outside and still a little pink in the middle; whole pieces of lamb are safe served this way as long as the outside is fully seared.
- If you have a heavy cast iron dish, heat it in the oven at 220C (200C fan) for 10 minutes while you cook, and tip the tibs into it so it sizzles at the table. Otherwise serve straight from the pan, with injera and gomen.
Tips
- Cook in two batches: a crowded pan drops in heat and the lamb boils in its own juices instead of browning.
- Cool leftovers quickly, keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat in a hot pan until steaming hot all the way through.
Swaps
- Cheaper: use beef braising steak cut thin, or boneless lamb shoulder, cooked 2 minutes longer.
- Richer: finish with a tablespoon of niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter) instead of the last of the oil, though then it is no longer dairy free.
Tags
None of the 14 allergens is in this recipe as written: lamb, oil, onion, garlic, chilli, rosemary, tomato and pepper contain none. Check the mitmita label, as some blends are packed alongside mustard, sesame or wheat. The niter kibbeh swap adds milk.
Check every packet for allergens.