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Niter Kibbeh, Ethiopian Spiced Clarified Butter (Tegelese Tesmi)

Published 16/06/2017, updated 30/11/2020 28 Comments

Ethiopian Spiced Butter, Niter Kibbeh in Ethiopian, and Tegelese Tesmi in Eritrean, has an incredible depth of flavour that imparts an almost mysterious bouquet to anything you cook it with.
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Ethiopian Clarified Butter
Ethiopian Clarified Butter, yellow butter in glass
Ethiopian Clarified Butter

Niter Kibbeh, the Ethiopian Spiced Butter, (Tegelese Tesmi) in Eritrean, has, over the years, become an indispensable ingredient in my kitchen, just as it is in much of East Africa. It has an incredible depth of flavour that imparts an almost mysterious bouquet to anything you cook it with.

Table of contents

  • Cooking in an Ethiopian Kitchen
  • How do you make Ethiopian Clarified Butter?
  • Best Butter for Niter Kibbeh
  • How long to cook the Butter to make Clarified Butter?
  • How to Use Niter Kibbeh?
  • By Products of making Niter Kibbeh
  • How to make Ethiopian Clarified Butter in Pictures
  • Ethiopian Recipes on LinsFood

Cooking in an Ethiopian Kitchen

I mentioned in the Injera (Ethiopian Flat Bread) post from years ago, that what little I know of East African cooking was brought about by some friends who ran an Ethiopian kitchen.

One of my responsibilities, when Samiah went on maternity leave, was to make this Niter Kibbeh in their restaurant kitchen. And I had to shampoo my hair everytime before going in to the office the next day, as I’d smell of clarified butter! Not a bad thing when you’re making it, but the next day … not so much!

Doro Wot, Ethiopian Chicken Stew
Doro Wot, Ethiopian Chicken Stew

This Ethiopian Spiced Butter is an essential ingredient in many Ethiopian, Eritrean and Somalian dishes. The most popular of these is Doro Wot, as popularised by Marcus Samuelsson in the Western world.

But today, is all about Niter or Nit’r Kibbeh, or Tegelese Tesmi, a butter by any other name. Clarified butter is a very simple process that can be done at home in 30 – 45 minutes, and enjoyed for months after. The spices and aromatics aside, I make it in exactly the same way that I make ghee, the Indian clarified butter, which contains no spices at all.

How do you make Ethiopian Clarified Butter?

Clarified butter is pure butter fat, and we achieve this by cooking off all the milk proteins and water in our butter. In Niter Kibbeh, the spices and aromatics give the clarified butter some character. These added ingredients are called Manteria. It comes form the word manter, which means to clarify. Some people also call this mix of spices and aromatics ye’kibbeh qemam, or kibbeh spice.

Ethiopian Spiced Butter (Niter Kibbeh)
A darker version of Niter Kibbeh, cooked longer, and still hot

Best Butter for Niter Kibbeh

Unsalted butter is best, as it results in less foaming. Our method is fairly simple, it doesn’t involve much skimming off as you would find with some. We leave the butter to its own devices for a good 20 minutes, then maybe skim once or twice and finally strain, voilà, you’ve got yourself an Ethiopian Spiced Clarified Butter.

As far as the spices and aromatics are concerned, you can go simple, or you can go complicated; it’s a matter of taste. I tend to be on the conservative side, but you’ll see that and suggestions for additional spices, in the recipe card below. I have found though, that it’s best not to add powdered ingredients, as they tend to burn quicker and lend a bitter taste to the butter.

How long to cook the Butter to make Clarified Butter?

20 minutes will give you the light golden colour that you see here, synonymous with clarified butter. I often go just 10 – 15 minutes longer, giving me a darker Niter Kibbeh, as seen in the image above.

Why? Because that little bit of extra time gives me a much deeper flavour and aroma. Your spiced clarified butter will be toasty, nutty and with a hint of caramel – absolutely deadly in the kitchen! In a good way, of course! Well, not if you’re on a diet. Then it’s definitely deadly in the other sense of the word!

Ethiopian Clarified Butter, Niter Kibbe
What a glorious colour right

How to Use Niter Kibbeh?

  • As mentioned above, in Doro Wot, that most wonderful of chicken stews.
  • I also use it in Middle Eastern and Indian/Pakistani recipes, in place of butter and regular clarified butter. It adds a wonderful depth and aroma to rice dishes, like pilau and bryanis and also to curries and stews.

By Products of making Niter Kibbeh

The by products of making this spiced clarified butter are absolutely delicious. Not the healthiest things of course, but still super delicious!

  • The first thing is the cooked aromatics: the onion, garlic and ginger. I love to stir these into rice or even add them to salads for a flavour kick.
  • Next, is the milk proteins that sink to the bottom of the pan, and are practically burnt looking. I cook rice in the same pan, again for a hint of flavour and aroma.

So there you have it, folks, a super easy, super Ethiopian spice butter that will live in your fridge happily ever after for a good 3 months. Experiment with it to your heart’s delight! Perhaps something for this weekend?

How to make Ethiopian Clarified Butter in Pictures

  • Unsalted butter for Niter Kibbeh
    Unsalted Butter
  • Butter melting for Niter Kibbeh
    Melting & Beginning to Foam
  • Foaming butter for Niter Kibbeh
    Foaming Butter
  • Foam dispersing for Niter Kebbeh
    Still Foaming
  • Foam settling down for Niter Kebbeh
    Foaming dispersing and Settling Down
  • First straining for Niter Kibbeh
    First Straining

*****************************************

Ethiopian Recipes on LinsFood

  • Berbere, Ethiopian Spice Mix
    Berbere, Ethiopian Spice
  • Doro Wot, with Berbere
    Doro Wot (Ethiopian Chicken Stew)
  • Injera Ethiopian Flatbread rolled up
    Injera Ethiopian Flatbread
  • Korarima Ethiopian Cardamom
    Korarima Ethiopian Cardamom

♥ If you like the recipe, don’t forget to leave me a comment and that all important, 5-star rating! 😉 Thank you! ♥

And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood

Lin xx

Ethiopian Clarified Butter

Ethiopian Spiced Clarified Butter (Tegelese Tesmi)

Ethiopian Spiced Butter, Niter Kibbeh in Ethiopian, and Tegelese Tesmi in Eritrean, has an incredible depth of flavour that imparts an almost mysterious bouquet to anything you cook it with.
5 from 53 votes
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Course: Ingredients
Cuisine: Eritrean, Ethiopian
Keyword: ethiopian
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 10 Makes about 375ml (1 1/2 cups)
Calories: 364kcal
Author: Azlin Bloor

Ingredients

  • 500 g unsalted butter
  • 1 medium onion quartered or sliced in rings
  • 2 medium garlic cloves left whole
  • 2.5 cm large piece ginger peeled and sliced into 3 pieces
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf

Optional ingredients

  • cardamon
  • cloves
  • cinnamon
  • cumin
  • nutmeg
  • turmeric
  • other herbs like oregano basil, thyme, etc

Instructions

  • If the butter is cold, cut it into large cubes. Place the butter in a medium heavy based saucepan.
  • Add all the other ingredients and heat on medium-low heat to melt the butter. This will take about 5 minutes.
  • When the butter has melted, lower the heat down to low and continue cooking. You’ll immediately start seeing a thin white layer forming on the surface. These are the milk solids. They will start to foam but shouldn’t boil over at the low heat. The foam will then break up into little clusters and continue to dissipate as the water cooks off. This will be around the 15 minute mark, give or take.
  • At around the 20 minute mark, the bubbling would have calmed down considerably, and this tells us that the water has all gone. Because we have “impurities” in the butter, in the form of our onions, etc, the bubbling won’t altogether cease. Using a fork, take out the onions, garlic, ginger and bay leaf and leave them aside to use as topping on some other recipe. Leave the peppercorns.
  • If you are aiming for a rich golden colour, it’s time to stop. You shouldn’t have much foam at the surface, but if you do, skim it off but don’t worry too much about it, as we will be straining it. If you fancy a darker colour and flavour, leave it cooking for another 10 – 20 minutes. The longer you leave it, the darker the colour. Keep an eye on it, as around the 45 minute mark, you’ll be burning the fat. And we don’t want that, as it will be bitter.
  • Triple line your strainer with a cheesecloth or muslin and place it over a glass bowl.
  • Pour the clarified butter in to strain. Repeat for a clearer looking product, you can use the same cheesecloth.
  • Store it in a sterilized jar, cool to room temperature and store in the fridge. Will keep for 3 months in the fridge. It will harden in the fridge.

Notes

The Nutritional chart is based on per serving = 1 Tablespoon = 15ml.

Nutrition

Serving: 10 | Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1250IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg

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Comments

  1. pierre says

    30/11/2020 at 4:59 pm

    Great post

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      30/11/2020 at 8:34 pm

      Thank you Pierre, pleased you think so.

      Reply
  2. Lynn Rochelle Phimsoutham says

    24/02/2020 at 2:16 am

    5 stars
    The clearest most complete and informative article and recipe that I’ve read in over 40years.

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      24/02/2020 at 5:37 pm

      Hi Lynn, thank you so much for those kind words. It has always been my aim to inform and educate my students and readers, not just give them a recipe. x

      Reply
  3. Katherine Wilson says

    02/02/2019 at 9:42 am

    I made this today and the house smells wonderful from it. Going to make your doro wot tomorrow with it. I also followed your suggestion and added the onion, etc to our rice today, along with a bit of this. Everything is so good! Thank you! So excited about the doro wot!

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      02/02/2019 at 10:30 am

      Hi Katherine, I’m so pleased to hear that! I just love those leftover aromatics. Let me know how the wot goes tomorrow!

      Reply
      • William says

        24/02/2019 at 3:30 am

        Hi Azlin, have a prep question on your clarafied butter. Im guessing I peel the ginger but aside from that do I leave it whole or chop? Also how much should I add of the optional ingredients?

        Reply
        • Azlin Bloor says

          24/02/2019 at 9:29 am

          Hi William, I’ll amend that oversight on the ginger. Peel and slice into 2-3 slices.
          Optional ingredients:
          Cinnamon a medium sized stick, add with the onion, etc.
          Cardamon – 4
          Cloves – 3
          Cumin – 1/2 tsp seeds
          Turmeric – about 1″ (2.5cm), scrubbed or peeled, and sliced into 2-3 slices. If using powdered turmeric, 1/4 tsp, AFTER the stove has been turned off. Stir and follow the rest of the recipe. This goes with any other spices you might be using in ground/powdered form.
          Herbs – if fresh, about 2-3 sprigs. If dried, 1/4 tsp, added a minute before the end.
          I hope that helps.

          Reply
  4. Amaneul SL says

    11/08/2017 at 4:24 pm

    Very, very good post, Chef Azlin. I am very impressed with your knowledge and your love for what you do. I can read it in your words.

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      11/08/2017 at 6:40 pm

      Thank you so much. I appreciate that. x

      Reply
  5. Samantha Osbourne says

    20/07/2017 at 8:24 pm

    Wow, this is such an amazing recipe, I can just imagine the flavour and the smell as you describe it! Thank you, I will have a go at this!

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      11/08/2017 at 6:39 pm

      Thanks Samantha, let me know how it goes.

      Reply
  6. Donna says

    27/06/2017 at 6:05 am

    Yum, I can bet this adds the best flavor to so many dishes. Clarified butter has always been on my list of things to try out at home, but for some reason I have never gotten around to it. You have inspired me and I will be trying this out this week

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      05/07/2017 at 10:41 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  7. Marie-Pierre Breton says

    24/06/2017 at 11:55 am

    I love you site, you are all about different cuisines from around the world and this particular “brown butter” with a touch of ginger, onion and garlic bring a basic butter to another level! I’ll give it a try in my next curry dish!

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      11/08/2017 at 6:39 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  8. Sumathi Rajan says

    20/06/2017 at 6:22 pm

    Hello Azlin, what an interesting recipe! I am an Indian living in the US and regularly make ghee for home use as I can’t find anything good near me. I like the sound of this recipe.
    Question: Should I add all the “optional ingredients” or only one or two? I know it sounds silly but I was wondering if I put in lots, whether I’ll have a stronger and better clarified butter in terms of flavor.
    And you say I can use this for pulaos and biryanis?
    Thank you in advance.

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      21/06/2017 at 8:45 am

      Hi Sumathi, thanks for your comment. I wouldn’t use all the ingredients all at once, it will be a hodge podge of flavours and aroma if you do. I’d start out with adding jut 2 or 3 more, and chop and change everytime. But the onion, garlic and ginger, are a must everytime in my opinion. And yes, you can absolutely use this for pilau and bryani.

      Reply
  9. Dinha Admassu says

    19/06/2017 at 8:16 pm

    Hello Azlin! My first time on your website. I saw this recipe on Twitter and had to see it because I am Ethiopian. I want to congratulate you on a job well done. My mother was the same, she didn’t like to flavour her Nit’r Kibbeh too much, like you she only added a few spices. I have just signed up to receive your posts!

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      20/06/2017 at 12:51 am

      Hi Dinha, thank you so much! Both for your kind words and taking the time to leave a comment. And of course, for subscribing too! Stay in touch!

      Reply
  10. Zainab Abbas says

    18/06/2017 at 4:15 pm

    This looks totally wonderful! I am going to attempt this soon, and look forward to your Doro Wot recipe using it too!

    Reply
  11. Andrea says

    17/06/2017 at 2:47 am

    this is so cool, didn’t know how easy it was to make! Thanks for sharing this interesting recipe. I love using clarified butter in my recipes as it won’t burn.

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      17/06/2017 at 11:44 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  12. Denisse | Le Petit Eats says

    17/06/2017 at 1:38 am

    What a great recipe! I have never heard of adding spices to clarified butter. Can’t wait to try this!

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      17/06/2017 at 11:51 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  13. Djamila FQ says

    16/06/2017 at 10:00 pm

    What an amazing recipe, I’ve never heard of this but am so intrigued. And it doesn’t take long, so I might attempt it this weekend. Never made clarified butter before, should be fun! Thank you, Azlin!

    Reply
    • Azlin Bloor says

      17/06/2017 at 1:14 am

      It’s a pleasure, Djamila. Let me know how it goes and what you intend to use it for. I should have the Doro Wat recipe up sometime this week.

      Reply
      • Djamila FQ says

        18/06/2017 at 4:35 pm

        I did it yesterday! And I went for the longer cooking time as you suggested, so mine is brown just like yours. The smell and the flavour is just amazing. Made some pilau rice for dinner and used this niter kibbeh instead of ghee and everybody loves it so much, they want it again today! Thank you, Azlin, and I will wait for the Doro Wot!

        Reply

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Hey folks, I’m Azlin Bloor; former chef, culinary instructor and mum of 4.
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