Can my Ethiopian food be kosher?

March 24, 2007 5:07 PM

Kosher Ethiopian food? Niter kebbeh in particular?

So, tomorrow night a rabbi friend of a friend may be coming to dinner and I was wanting to make Ethiopian food. I suspect just from what I know (which is not that much) of kosher restrictions that using the niter kebbeh (spiced butter) to cook the Doro Wat (chicken stew) would not be considered kosher. Am I right? I don't want to offend the rabbi. My wife sent the rabbi an email, but she hasn't answered yet.

I thought about using olive oil, but it wouldn't have the same taste.

posted by geekhorde to food & drink (7 comments total)

This recipe for niter kibbeh says you can sub margarine for butter. IANAJ but margarine would be OK, right? It's just veg oil.
posted by brain cloud at 5:15 PM on March 24, 2007

It won't be kosher in any case unless it's certified kosher, but you're right - mixing milk-based foods (butter) with meat (chicken) is forbidden under any circumstances.
posted by aberrant at 5:15 PM on March 24, 2007

What kind of rabbi?

By definition, anything cooked in your kitchen isn't going to be kosher, because your kitchen isn't kosher. So my hunch is that if the rabbi accepted the invitation, she knows she's not going to get a kosher meal. I wouldn't serve pork chops, but I don't think I'd worry about it otherwise. But YMMV.
posted by craichead at 5:23 PM on March 24, 2007

Since the rabbi is a woman, it's pretty unlikely she's Orthodox. I think you've done due diligence by writing her, and if she doesn't write back, she has only herself to blame if she can't eat what you've made. That said, to minimize the chance of problems you should certainly avoid cooking the meat in butter (margarine's fine, as long as it's completely dairy-free.) If it were me, I'd offer one completely vegetarian dish -- lots of semi-kosher folks would be willing to eat vegetables off your plates but not to eat non-kosher-certified meat.

For what it's worth, I find that regular (i.e. not extra-virgin) olive oil doesn't impart any olivey flavor to things I saute in it. I'd choose that over margarine.
posted by escabeche at 5:44 PM on March 24, 2007

These are all very helpful. My friend Wes is having her call us.

She's a Reform rabbi, I think. At any rate, we've gone out to eat before, and she usually gets vegetarian, if I remember correctly.
posted by geekhorde at 6:55 PM on March 24, 2007

Last time I made niter kebbeh, it seemed like I wasn't only infusing the butter with tasty spices but also clarifying it. I'm not sure you can "clarify" margarine the same way.
I'd try an unprocessed, saturated vegetable fat, like palm or coconut oil. You can probably get something pareve at a natural foods store, and that should be okay with meats (but I Am Not Jewish). Plus, it won't be hydrogenated.
posted by pullayup at 7:06 PM on March 24, 2007

Many reform Rabbis that I know keep Kosher, but will eat food from non-Kosher kitchens off of non-Kosher flatware. They will not necessarily eat non-Kosher-certified meat, though many will. If she orders vegetarian at restaurants, it might be because she won't eat non-Kosher meat.

So: I'd say procure certified-Kosher chicken if you can do so, and substitute margarine for the butter, and you'll be OK.
posted by goingonit at 7:10 PM on March 24, 2007