Ethiopia, Middle East and Africa · Genfo

Genfo with Homemade Niter Kibbeh

Name: Genfo with Homemade Niter Kibbeh
Cook time: 42 min
Total time: 42 min
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: Ethiopia
Ingredients: Barley flour 120 g; All-purpose flour 40 g; Water 550 ml; Salt ½ tsp; Unsalted butter 60 g; Shallot 1; Garlic cloves 1; Fresh ginger 8 g; Green cardamom pods 3; Fenugreek seeds ¼ tsp; Dried oregano (stand-in for koseret) ½ tsp; Ground turmeric ¼ tsp; Berbere 2 tsp; Greek yogurt 200 g

A refined genfo made with homemade spiced niter kibbeh, a little wheat flour mixed into the barley for a silkier body, and thick Greek yogurt.

ServingsServes 2

Total cooking time42 min

DifficultyHard

Method

Make the niter kibbeh: melt the butter in a small 14 cm pan over low heat. When it foams, add the sliced shallot, garlic and ginger, the lightly crushed cardamom, the fenugreek, oregano and turmeric, and let it barely bubble for without stirring. When the milk solids on the bottom are light golden and the butter is clear, strain it through a sieve lined with paper towel. Careful, it's very hot.
Add in this stepUnsalted butter 60 gShallot 1Garlic cloves 1Fresh ginger 8 gGreen cardamom pods 3Fenugreek seeds ¼ tspDried oregano (stand-in for koseret) ½ tspGround turmeric ¼ tsp
low heat
Put the barley flour and wheat flour in a dry 24 cm frying pan and toast over medium-low heat for , stirring constantly, until nutty and a shade darker. Tip into a bowl.
Add in this stepBarley flour 120 gAll-purpose flour 40 g
medium-low heat
Bring the water and salt to a rolling boil in a heavy-based 18 cm pot over high heat, about .
Add in this stepWater 550 mlSalt ½ tsp
high heat
Turn the heat down to medium-low heat. Stirring hard with a wooden spoon, sprinkle in the flour a little at a time. When it's all in, keep stirring for , pressing lumps against the side, then beat in 1 tbsp of the niter kibbeh. It's ready when it's very thick and glossy and comes away from the pot in one mass. Use a long spoon, as it can spit.
medium-low heat
Warm the rest of the niter kibbeh in a small pan over low heat, add the berbere and stir for until fragrant. Heat it only until it gently foams so the berbere doesn't burn.
Add in this stepBerbere 2 tsp
low heat
Stir the Greek yogurt until smooth. Turn the genfo out of a cold-water-rinsed bowl as a dome, make a deep well in the top and pour in the berbere niter kibbeh. Spoon the yogurt around, and eat by pulling pieces from the outside and dipping them in the butter and yogurt.
Add in this stepGreek yogurt 200 g

Cook's tip

A quarter wheat flour keeps the barley's nuttiness but gives a smoother, more elastic texture. Make extra niter kibbeh: it keeps a month in the fridge. Keep the heat low; dark brown milk solids make the butter bitter.

Cooking it at camp

Make the niter kibbeh and toast the flour at home, so at camp you only boil water and stir. Keep the Greek yogurt in the cooler below 5 °C.