“Sura, are there any of those saffron rice onigiri left over from Monday?” Esther asked, poking her head around Sura’s door. 

Sura looked up from her tablet. “Um, I think so,” she replied. “Why? Didn’t you get to try one already?”

“I did, don’t worry!” Esther said. “I just wanted to know if I needed to make a starch to go along with the doro tibs I’ve got going on the stove.”

“Doro tibs? Tibs is Ethiopian, right? What’s the ‘doro’ part?” Sura asked, pushing away from her desk so she could face Esther. 

“Tibs is Ethiopian, yes – usually it’s beef or lamb, but you can really make tibs out of anything,” Esther explained. “Doro tibs is made with chicken. It starts out as kind of a stir fry, but then you add vegetables to make it like a stew. Mama always made hers with a tomato and some peppers, but all you really need is an onion. And the right spices, of course.”

“Mmm, sounds yummy,” hummed Sura. “I bet it would go great with the saffron rice onigiri.”

“I think so too!” Esther said, grinning. “Especially since you’re supposed to use butter for the frying part, so that’ll go great with the rice.”

“You have that special butter, right?” Sura asked. “The one in the freezer, from your mom?”

“The niter kibbeh, yeah,” said Esther. “You don’t really need it, but it’s infused with all kinds of spices and things, so it definitely punches up the flavor. Mom always makes a few big batches every year, and I steal some from her, but if I run out I just use ghee. The only specialty thing you absolutely need for tibs is berbere spice, or at least mitmita. I prefer berbere, though – plus, that’s what you use for doro wat, so I always have it on hand.”

“You and your spicy food!” Sura laughed. “I always thought I had an okay spice tolerance until I met you.” 

“The hotter the better!” Esther proclaimed jokingly, striking a dramatic pose. “That’s what happens when your Ethiopian mom joins a synagogue full of Jamaican aunties. It’s a good thing I fell for Dani, or I’d probably be on the hunt for a Thai woman to really get the spicy food going.”

“And then nobody would eat your food!” Dani’s distant voice called from elsewhere in the house, making Esther and Sura dissolve into giggling.

Doro Tibs

• 2 Tablespoons niter kibbeh, or clarified butter, or ghee
• ½ onion, or 4 inches leek, diced
• 1 small tomato
• 1 lb boneless chicken breast and/or thigh, cubed
• 1 tbsp minced garlic, or 3 cloves roasted garlic, mashed
• 1 tbsp ginger paste or minced ginger
• 1 – 2 tbsp berbere, to taste 
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Caramelize the onion in 1 tbsp niter kibbeh, until soft and brown. Meanwhile, blanch the tomato in boiling water, peel, and dice.
2. Add remaining butter, garlic, and ginger paste, and briefly saute at medium heat. 
3. Add the spices to the aromatics and fry briefly, then add the chicken and brown on all sides. 
4. Reduce heat to a low simmer and add the tomato. Cook until the sauce is well reduced. Salt and adjust spices to taste.

(A/N: Sorry for no illustrations! I am still running behind. Don’t worry, illustrations are planned for these two as well as a comic page for the 4th – I’m doing my best to have those posts updated with their illustrations before August comes.)