Dish of Beef & Vegetable Stew
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Beef & Vegetable Stew


Ethiopia   -   Kayeh Siga be Atakilt
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4-1/2 #
***
2-3/4 hrs
Yes		 A Beef Stew resplendent with numerous vegetables. Long ingredient list, but not hard to make. While most of Africa makes do with Goat, Ethiopia is Beef country.

1-1/2
10
6
4
3/4
7
5
2
5
6
4
4
4
1-1/2
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2
2-1/2
1/4
1/2
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3
5
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ar
#
oz
oz
cl
in
oz
oz
T
oz
oz
oz
oz
oz
oz
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T
t
c
t
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T
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Beef (1)
Tomatoes, ripe
Onions
Garlic
Ginger Root
Potatoes (2)
Okra
Vinegar
Broccoli
Carrots
Zucchini
Long Beans (3)
Mushrooms (4)
Celery
-- Seasoning
Berbere Spice (5)
Salt
Niter Kibbeh (6)
Mekelesha (7)
----------
Oil
Water  
-- Serve with
Injera Bread
  or Rice
Do Ahead
  1. If not on hand, make Berbere Spice Mix - (15 min).
  2. If not on hand, make Mekelesha Spice Mix - (5 min).
  3. If not on hand, make Niter Kibbeh (1-1/2 hrs - 1 hr work)
Prep   -   (55 min)
  1. Cut BEEF into about 3/4 inch chunks. Place them in a pan of water and bring to a boil for about 1 minute. Dump out in a clean sink and rinse off all the crud. Drain well.
  2. Scald TOMATOES 1 minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water, peel and chop coarse.
  3. Quarter ONIONS lengthwise and slice crosswise about 1/8 inch. Crush GARLIC and chop small. Slice GINGER very thin, cut slices into threads, and chop fine. Mix all.
  4. Peel POTATOES and cut into about 3/4 inch cubes. Hold in cold water until needed.
  5. Shave OKRA caps into a cone, being careful not to cut into the interior. In a non-reactive bowl, tumble with a couple of tablespoons of Vinegar. Let soak for about 20 minutes, tumbling a couple of times, then drain, rinse, and cut into 3/4 inch lengths
  6. Break BROCCOLI into smallish florets.
  7. Peel CARROTS and place in a large mixing bowl. Cut ZUCCHINI into about 3/4 inch dice. Stem and tip GREEN BEANS and cut into 3/4 inch lengths. Cut MUSHROOMS into 1/4 inch slices, then cut slices into about 3/4 inch lengths. Cut CELERY into 1/4 inch wide strips and then into 1/2 inch lengths. Mix all.
Run   -   (1-3/4 hr)
  1. In a heavy bottomed pot or sauté pan of about 3-1/2 quarts, heat Oil. Fry Onion mix over moderately high flame until Onions are translucent.
  2. Stir in Berbere Spice until well distributed, then stir in Beef and Tomatoes. Fry stirring until most liquid has evaporated.
  3. Stir in 4 cups water, bring to a boil and simmer covered for about 40 minutes, or until Beef is nearly tender.
  4. Drain Potatoes and stir in along with the Carrot mix. Bring back to a boil, then simmer covered for about 25 minutes, or until Carrots are tender.
  5. Season with Salt, then stir in Broccoli, Okra, Niter Kibe and Mekelesha. Cook for another 3 minutes and take off the heat.
  6. Serve hot with Injera Bread or Rice.
NOTES:

  1. Beef:

      Weight (1/2 kg / 1# 2oz) is boneless with excess fat removed. This can be any cut suitable for stewing. Chuck is my preference as it cooks faster than Round.

  2. Potatoes:

      White Rose or similar work well in recipes of this sort. Avoid Klondike Gold type potatoes - they turn to mush if cooked a little more than the minimum. For details see our Potatoes page.

  3. Long Beans:

      Long Beans work better in stews than Green Beans. They are also an Afro-Asian type bean, while Green Beans are from the Americas. For details see our Long Beans page. If you have to use Green Beans, put them in a few minutes before the Broccoli.

  4. Mushrooms:

      Regular White Mushrooms are fine for this recipe.

  5. Berbere Spice Mix:

      This is the most essential spice mix in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is easy to make by our recipe Berbere Spice Mix.

  6. Niter Kibbeh

      [Niter Kibe, Tesmi]   This is a spiced clarified butter that is essential for Ethiopian cuisines. You can make it easily by our recipe Niter Kibbeh.

  7. Mekelesha Spice Mix:

      This is a mix of aromatic spices used to balance spicy dishes. It is easy to make by our recipe Mekelesha Spice Mix. The pattern recipe called for O'imam Spice Mix, which is similar and used similarly, but requires dried Rue Fruits. My Rue Bush is just starting to set fruit, so there were too few to dry.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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