Tekebash and Saba: Recipes and Stories from an East African Kitchen, written by Saba Alemayoh, features the incredible cuisine of Tigray along with personal memories, traditions, and the region’s history. A few highlights include Keyih Sebhi (Red Lamb Stew), Salata Aswad (Eggplant Dip), Keysir (Beet Stew), Katania (Chile Toastie), and Mom’s Lasagne. I will also be sharing her recipe for Dabo Kolo (Fried Bread Snack) following the review.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Interlink Books in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own.
Saba Alemayoh
Saba Alemayoh was born in Sudan to parents from Tigray and moved to Australia at the age of 9. She created this book as a way to honor her mother’s legacy.
Saba’s mother, Tekebash Gebre, grew up in Adi Kuhla, Tigray under the rule of the last Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie. She escaped to Khartoum, Sudan at the age of 17 during the civil war.
Together, they opened Saba’s Ethiopian Restaurant in Fitzroy, Melbourne in 2015 to share the cuisine and culture of Tigray with others. The restaurant was open for nearly five years until 2020 happened.
Tekebash and Saba
Saba begins Tekebash and Saba with an introduction and history of Tigray, the northernmost of nine states in Ethiopia.
Chapters are divided according to the different parts of Tekebash and Saba’s life with the culture and traditions surrounding the recipes.
Across the pages, she shares her family’s story from Aksum to Khartoum and finally Melbourne. The recipes in this book have been translated (with the help of her sister Sara) and recorded from Tekebash’s cooking.
You will even find menu plans for casual buffet dinners, children friendly options, vegan, brunch, picnics, and special dinners.
The photography is provided by Alicia Taylor. Most of the recipes are paired with a beautifully styled, full page photo of the finished dish. There is also a map with the location of Tigray between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Titles are written in English and Tigrinya. Each recipe includes a headnote with background information, personal stories, yield, tips, and serving ideas.
Dabo Kolo (Fried Bread Snack)
The recipe for Dabo Kolo (ዳቦ ቆሎ) is paired with the story of Tekebash and Saba leaving Sudan in 1999 and migrating to Melbourne.
Translating to fried bread, this snack is often made for going away parties. Since the fried pieces of dough can be stored for months, they transport well when taken overseas.
The dough is formed by bringing together flour, confectioner’s sugar, and salt. Saba divides the ingredients for the Dabo Kolo in half and dyes one red and the other yellow to represent the colors of the Tigray flag.
After kneading the dough with olive oil for about 5 minutes, pieces are broken off, rolled into long thin strips, then cut into individual 1/2 inch (1 centimeter) pieces with scissors or a knife.
The cut pieces are fried in hot oil until crisp with deepened colors, then allowed to cool before storing in a cool, dry area in an airtight container. I paired the Dabo Kolo with coffee.
Other Dishes
I also made Injera (Fermented Flatbread), Qanta (Dried Beef), Ga’at (Tigray-Style Gnocchi), and Kintishara Sebhi (Sautéed Mushrooms).
Saba begins the recipes with the three essentials of Tigray’s cuisine: Injera, Tesmi (Spiced Butter), and Berbere/Dilik (powdered chile mix or paste). This recipe for Injera (Fermented Flatbread) has created the best results I have had so far! The mixture of teff, yeast, and water needs two/three days to ferment, then ladles of the batter are cooked in a hot pan to create hundreds of tiny holes and a spongy texture.
Qanta is a Tigray-style beef jerky. Very thinly sliced pieces of beef are tossed in a mixture of berbere, cardamom, and pepper, then heated in a low oven for a few hours until dried. We ate the Qanta on its own, but it can also be used to make Qanta Fit Fit (Dried Beef Stew with Shredded Injera).
This was my first time trying Ga’at (Tigray-Style Gnocchi) and it is fantastic with such comforting flavors. Saba states “this is a dish that is made for new mothers and any guests who come to visit for almost the first month after having a child.” Flour is toasted lightly golden and fragrant, then formed into a thick dough and arranged in a ball shape on a serving platter. A well is made in the center to hold melted Tesmi (spiced butter) and Dilik (Chile paste), then thick yogurt is spooned around the outside.
The Kintishara Sebhi (Sautéed Mushrooms) is an easy and delicious vegan option. Sliced mushrooms are simmered in a dilil-spiced tomato garlic sauce until tender and served with injera.
Tekebash and Saba is a great pick for those interested in the cuisine of Tigray. Saba states, “the recipes in this book capture the true Tigrayan dining experience: there are no appetizers, mains, or deserts, simply dishes that are often shared as part of a communal banquet for all to enjoy.” A large portion of the book has vegan and/or vegetarian recipes.
Many of the dishes can be prepared with items from larger American grocery stores. Having a market with East African ingredients will be helpful for locating teff flour, ajwain seeds, korarima, chickpea flour, goat, and geysho leaves.
Dabo Kolo (Fried Bread Snack) Recipe
Excerpt from Tekebash and Saba
Dabo Kolo (Fried Bread Snack)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
- 1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon yellow food coloring
- 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) olive oil
- Sunflower oil for frying
Instructions
- Equally divide the flour, sugar, salt, and 1/3 cup (85 milliliters) of water between two bowls and mix well.
- To one of the bowls, add the red food coloring and to the other, the yellow. Gradually mix in more water if you need it, until you have a thick dough.
- Place one of the mixtures on a floured board and knead until you have a stiff ball of dough.
- Make an indent in the center of the dough ball and pour in half the olive oil. Fold the dough over the oil and knead for another 5 minutes. Cover with a cloth to keep it moist.
- Repeat this process with the other bowl of mixture, using the other half of the olive oil.
- Break off chunks of dough and roll into smaller balls, then roll into long, thin strips (like fat spaghetti) using your hands.
- Cut these strips into 1/2 inch (1 centimeter) pieces using scissors or a knife.
- Heat enough sunflower oil for deep-frying in a deep heavy-based pot or wok.
- Using a strainer, carefully spoon the dough pieces into the oil and fry until the color deepens, it shouldn't take longer than 5 minutes per batch. Strain them out of the oil and place on paper towels to drain.
- Once cool, store the Dabo Kolo in an airtight container in a cool, dry area. They will last for months.
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