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Key Wat (Spicy Beef Stew)

As with many Ethiopian dishes, key wat—spicy beef stew—gets its flavor from the ubiquitous berbere spice mix. Beef, garlic, and onions make up the majority of the other ingredients, making this a simple yet flavorful dish that is traditionally served with injera.

Recipe Servings: 8

Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
Total Time
3 hours 10 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal

Ingredients

  • 1 lb stew beef, cut into bite-sized cubes
  • 8–10 purple onions
  • ½ cup water
  • 1–4 Tbsp berbere spice mix (depending on desired level of spiciness)
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 3 Tbsp minced garlic

Directions

  1. Wash cubed beef well under cool water, pat dry with a paper towel, and place in refrigerator.
  2. Finely chop onions in a blender or food processor, until almost puréed. 
  3. Place onions in a heavy cooking pot. Cook on medium heat until they dry out and become a reddish-brown color.
  4. Add water and berbere to the pot. Cook for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed so the sauce doesn't dry out. 
  5. Reduce heat to low and add beef. Simmer for 45–60 minutes, adding small amounts of water as needed to prevent onions and meat from sticking to bottom of pan. 
  6. Add butter and salt to pan. If sauce is getting too dry, or burning or sticking, add more water.
  7. Simmer for an additional 60 minutes, stirring periodically. 
  8. Just before removing from heat, stir in freshly minced garlic. 
  9. Remove from heat, transfer to a serving dish, and serve with injera.

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