Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Ethiopian

Beef tibs

Non-vegetarian

ጥብስ · tibs

Cubes of beef seared hot in spiced butter with onion, green chilli, garlic and rosemary until browned and juicy. A quick celebratory Ethiopian favourite served with injera.

Beef tibs is an Ethiopian main course, ready in about 25 minutes and made with beef sirloin steak and ghee. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Plate of sautéed beef tibs served with injera
Photo: Paul Lowry / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-4.0
Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
301

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat a heavy frying pan until very hot. Sear the beef in a single layer, without stirring at first, until browned; do this in batches if needed.

    A crowded pan stews the meat instead of browning it.

    Meat searing in a hot pan
    How it looks · Photo: Skylar Kang on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Add the ghee (opens in a new tab), onion and rosemary (opens in a new tab) and stir-fry until the onion softens and the meat is cooked to your liking.

    • 5 min
    • medium-high heat
    Ingredients tossed in a hot wok
    How it looks · Photo: Aesthos AR. Photography on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the garlic (opens in a new tab), chillies, tomato (opens in a new tab) and berbere (opens in a new tab), if using, with the salt and pepper (opens in a new tab). Toss for 2–3 minutes and serve sizzling.

    • 3 min
    • medium-high heat

About this dish

Origin
Ethiopia · Well documentedAlso popular in EritreaMore food from Ethiopia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses
Cooking method
Sautéed, Pan-fried
Taste
savoury, spicy (chilli heat), herby, buttery
Diet
No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pan · Everyday
Cook more with
Beef sirloin steak · Ghee · Red onion · Green chilli · Garlic · Rosemary (fresh)
Techniques
Searing · Pan-frying · Stir-frying · Sautéing

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

301 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 196 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 46%
  • Carbohydrate 5%
  • Fat 49%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy301 kcal154 kcal
Protein33.7 g17.2 g
Carbohydrate3.6 g1.9 g
Net carbohydrate3.1 g1.6 g
Sugars1.6 g0.8 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.5 g0.3 g
Fat16.2 g8.3 g
Saturated fat——
Trans fat——
Cholesterol116 mg59 mg
Sodium670 mg342 mg
Salt equivalent1.7 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
586 mg
Calcium
53 mg
Iron
2.6 mg
Magnesium
39 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
87 µg
Vitamin C
10 mg
Vitamin D
0.2 µg
Vitamin B12
—
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: tomato, berbere.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • If you have niter kibbeh (spiced Ethiopian butter), use it — it gives tibs their characteristic aroma. Otherwise warm ghee briefly with a crushed cardamom pod and a little fenugreek.

Common mistakes

  • Overcooking lean beef — tibs should be juicy.

Serve with

  • Serve on injera with awaze (berbere paste) and a fresh salad.

Food safety

  • Whole-muscle beef cubes can be served pink; cook to 71 °C for vulnerable eaters.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 2 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat briefly in a hot pan.

Variations

  • Shekla tibs: Served still sizzling in a clay pot with a charcoal burner underneath.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like

  • Kitfo

    Ethiopian · 20 min · 285 kcal

  • Atkilt wat

    Ethiopian · 55 min · 268 kcal · Vegan

  • A serving of Wat (food)

    Doro wat

    Ethiopian · 2 h 20 min · 591 kcal

  • A serving of Zigni

    Zigni

    Eritrean · 2 h 5 min · 295 kcal