🥩 Kitfo
Kitfo is Ethiopian minced raw beef, warmed through with niter kibbeh, a spiced clarified butter, and seasoned with mitmita, a fiery chilli blend. It is rich, buttery and peppery. Kitfo is served with injera and a mild fresh cheese called ayib, which cools the heat; it can also be ordered lightly cooked (leb leb).
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g very fresh lean beef, finely minced just before serving
- 40 g niter kibbeh
- 1–2 tsp mitmita
- Salt
- 100 g fresh mild cheese (ayib)
- Injera, to serve
Method
- Melt the niter kibbeh gently in a pan and stir in the mitmita and salt.
- Remove from the heat and mix in the beef until coated; for leb leb, warm briefly over low heat.
- Serve at once with ayib and injera.
How to make it lighter
- Reduce the niter kibbeh to 20 g; the mitmita keeps the flavour bold.
- Choose the leanest beef you can find.
- Keep the cheese to a small spoonful and add a side of greens.
History
Kitfo is most closely associated with the Gurage people of south-central Ethiopia, where it is a dish of celebration and hospitality, notably during the Meskel festival. Today it is served in kitfo houses across Ethiopia and in Ethiopian restaurants abroad.
Count it in one photo
Point your camera at the table — Me Nutrition recognises Kitfo and every other dish, with calories and macros for each. Ate only half? Slide it.
Download on the App StoreSimilar dishes
Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →