Clarified Butter with Spices (Ethiopian Niter Kibbeh or Nit’ir Qibe)

ethiopian-niterkibbeh If you love Ethiopian food and just can't quite figure out how to replicate that flavour at home, you may be missing the ultimate secret ingredient: Niter Kibbeh. Niter Kibbeh (Nit’ir Qibe) is an ingredient integral to Ethiopian cuisine and is made by clarifying butter that has been infused with herbs and spices. In the process of clarifying the spiced butter, the same process used to make ghee, the butterfat is separated from the milk solids and water and the result is a highly aromatic and flavourful cooking fat. This clarified butter has a higher smoke point and longer shelf life than regular butter.

How To Use Niter Kibbeh:
While niter kibbeh is famously used in Ethiopia's national dish, Doro Wat, it is highly versatile and used to bring life and flavour to a wide variety of dishes. Include a dollop in your favourite stews, your beans and lentils, sauces and gravies, add some to your vegetables and eggs, use it to brown your meat or chicken, spread some on your sandwich and then sit back and savour your meal.

Authentic Ethiopian Spices:
For a truly authentic niter kibbeh you would include two Ethiopian spices that are very difficult to find outside of Ethiopia: Besobela and Kosseret. Besobela is also known as Ethiopian sacred basil though it tastes nothing like basil. It's also traditionally included in Berbere, the famous fiery hot Ethiopian spice blend. Kosseret is in the verbena family of plants and likewise has a very unique flavour. There are no adequate substitutes for either. If you can find them, use about a Tbsp. of each. If you can't, simply omit them. The resulting niter kibbeh will still be incredibly delicious without them.

Another central ingredient to niter kibbeh is cardamom. But it's not the green cardamom that most of us are familiar with. Rather it's a type of cardamom that's much bigger in size and is brown in colour, known as korarima, false cardamom and Ethiopian cardamom. And it's tastes completely different than green cardamom. The bad news is that it's nearly impossible to find. The good news is that you can substitute Indian black cardamom. It more closely resembles Ethiopian cardamom in flavour than does green cardamom and is an absolutely vital spice in Ethiopian cooking.

1 lb unsalted butter, cubed
¼ cup yellow onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. fresh garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 (2") stick cinnamon
1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
3 black cardamom pods (not the green cardamom variety)
3 whole cloves
1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground turmeric
1 Tbsp. besobela, if you can find it, otherwise omit
1 Tbsp. kosseret, if you can find it, otherwise omit

Toast the whole spices over medium heat in a dry skillet for a few minutes until very fragrant. Be careful not to scorch the spices or they will become bitter. Set aside.

Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring it to an extremely low simmer. Continue to simmer over low for at least one hour or up to 90 minutes. Be very careful not to burn the butter. If it burns it will be bitter and there is no salvaging it.

Pour everything through a fine-mesh cheesecloth. (No need to skim off the foam, everything will be removed during straining.) Pour the niter kibbeh into a jar, let it cool, and cover so that it is airtight. It will keep at room temperature for several weeks, in the fridge for at least a couple of months, and even longer in the freezer (it will be hard in the fridge and freezer, let it come to room temp for easy scooping).

Makes about 2 cups.