Ethiopian Scrambled Eggs — Enkulal Firfir: #cooking #food #ethiopian #recipe #breakfast #egg

Ethiopian scrambled eggs are a quiet surprise to anyone who assumes the cuisine is only stews, injera and coffee. Known in various forms as enkulal firfir (torn injera folded with eggs) or enkulal tibs (scrambled eggs without bread mixed in), the dish follows the Ethiopian logic of flavour: aromatics first, fat second, eggs last. Onions, green chillies and sometimes tomatoes are softened in spiced oil — ideally niter kibbeh, the scented butter infused with garlic, fenugreek, cardamom and spice — before beaten eggs are poured in. Unlike soft French curds, Ethiopian eggs are cooked almost to a “dry scramble,” so the spice and chilli cling to the surface of each piece.

Berbere is optional but common; even a half teaspoon stains the eggs orange-red and gives immediate heat, citrus and smoke. Some cooks skip berbere and stay green-fresh with only jalapeño and tomato; others add a spoon of mitmita (hotter, finer spice) at the end. Salt is generous because tomatoes and onions dull seasoning, and eggs mute acid and heat. The dish is usually spooned onto injera, eaten with hands, and often shown up at breakfast, fasting-break transition meals, or late-night “quick food” moments when there is no time to build a full wat.

What distinguishes Ethiopian scrambled eggs from Indian anda bhurji or Arab tomato-egg isn’t just spicing; it is fat and sequencing. The flavour comes from the niter kibbeh — a pre-built seasoning butter — not from spices added raw in the pan. Because the eggs cook almost firm, there is no milky runoff to dilute the masala; instead the pieces act like carriers for the chilli butter. When made as enkulal firfir, torn injera is folded through at the end so the bread drinks the spiced fat and turns the dish into a complete meal with no side needed.

It is a perfect entry dish for people new to Ethiopian food: same egg comfort, but with Ethiopian perfume and chilli logic. Serve it with coffee, with plain bread, or with injera and a side of fresh tomato-onion salad for balance. Like much Ethiopian home cooking, it is fast, cheap, aromatic and far more flavourful than the modest ingredient list suggests.


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