Niter kibbeh is the spiced clarified butter used as the base for many Ethiopian dishes. As the butter melts over low heat, cardamom, fenugreek, ginger, and garlic infuse into the fat. Once the milk solids settle and the fat becomes glass-clear, strain the mixture. With the milk solids removed, the fat withstands higher heat and keeps for weeks in the refrigerator. A serving is about 1 tablespoon (15 ml); doro wat, shiro, genfo, and tibs do not taste the same without it.
Crack the cardamom pods with the back of a knife, thinly slice the ginger, crush the garlic cloves whole, and coarsely chop the onion. Do not chop anything finely; larger pieces strain out more cleanly and leave less sediment in the butter.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over the lowest heat. Skim off the white foam that collects on the surface with a spoon; this is milk protein, and leaving it in can mask the butter’s aroma. Do not stir until the butter is fully melted and still.
Add all the whole spices, onion, garlic, and ginger to the pot. Keep the heat at its lowest and let them infuse for 35 minutes. The butter should only quiver, never boil. By the end, the milk solids should have settled and browned, and the fat on top should be glass-clear; it is ready when you can see the bottom of the pot clearly through a spoonful.
Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Strain through two layers of cheesecloth set in a fine-mesh strainer into a dry glass jar. Do not transfer the dark sediment from the bottom of the pot; leave the last spoonfuls behind. Once completely cool, seal and refrigerate. It will solidify and become creamy when cold.
The butter should not boil; if large bubbles form on the surface, the heat is too high and the milk solids settling at the bottom can burn and make the whole batch bitter. After straining, do not close the jar until the butter has cooled completely; condensation on the lid shortens its storage life. Allergen: Based on the ingredient list, this contains milk and dairy products. Check packaged product labels for other allergens.
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