“Ethiopian Jewish food is just a little bit of everything,” Beejhy Barhany, the founding owner and executive chef of Tsion Cafe, an Ethiopian and Israeli restaurant, told the Journal. “It’s an array of an abundance of flavors … packed with nutrients.”
Born in Ethiopia, Barhany was raised mostly in Israel, before moving to New York in 2001. Her new cookbook, “Gursha” is a celebration of Ethiopian Jewish (Beta Israel) cuisine. It features more than 100 recipes, along with stories and traditions, from the places she has lived: Ethiopia, Sudan, Israel, and Harlem.
Barhany called herself a “wandering Jew” that celebrates Jewish diversity and inclusion via food.
“I encompass a lot of heritages and cultures and what have you, and that is actually showcased on the menu [and] in the cookbook,” she said.
The recipes in “Gursha,” which is is loosely translated as “mouthful” or “the act of feeding one another,” range from traditional dishes (Doro Wot, Shakshuka, Legamat [Sudanese doughnuts]) to ones that Barhany created (Berbere Fried Fish, Injera Fish Taco, Queen of Sheba Chocolate Cardamom Cake). Just in time for Passover, her recipe for Ethiopian Matzah is below.
A staple of Ethiopian food, she explained, is injera flatbread. It uses a fermented starter, like sourdough bread, is enjoyed with just about everything.
“Injera bread basically is your plate and your utensil to grab the different stews,” she said. This is true whether you are enjoying vegetarian fare – “We have a lot of vegetables stews going from braised, collard greens to cabbage with turmeric, carrots and potatoes to beets and okra and pumpkin,” she said – or delicious meat dishes.
“Doro, which are traditional national Ethiopian dishes, is very hearty,” Barhany said. “It’s chicken with hard boiled egg, and is aromatic, spicy and delicious.”
Barhany said her love for food started with experiencing the amazing aromas, while still in her mother’s belly; it continued with her upbringing.
“[It’s all part of] being born to an ancient Ethiopian Jewish community that adheres to ancient practices – hospitality, feeding one another [and] nurturing one another,” she said. “Cooking food … is [such] a given, I wanted to open a place, Tsion Cafe, to introduce the rich flavors, aromas and textures of Ethiopian Jewish food.”
Tsion, which has been open for 10 years, is now completely vegan and kosher.
Barhany said her favorite dishes often depend on the mood, the weather and the flavor.
“Sometimes, when it’s a cold day, I crave delicious pumpkin stew with sweet potato, it’s a little bit spicy,” she said. “Yet when spring comes, [I] want a nice, refreshing collard green or kale braise on the injera bread with the lentil stew.”
For the base of traditional stews, or as a marinade, Barhany recommends making kulet.
“The berbere is the backbone of Ethiopian cuisine, and then in order to make that kulet, you need a lot of berbere: onion, garlic and ginger,” she said. “You let it simmer for a long while – I’m talking about an hour or two – and you have a big batch.”
She added, “You can put it in the fridge, and then [when you want to] make a delicious red lentil stew, for example, you take a couple of spoons, put it in a pot and add some water and lentils and voila!”
Barhany believes food is a wonderful tool to bring people together, as well as to engage and learn about each other’s cultures.
“Once you are open to tasting a particular group of flavors and dishes, I think you will have a better understanding [of one another],” she said. “I would say my offering is to have food as a medium of peace, harmony, and understanding and respect.”
The next time you are a visitor to someone’s table or have a new guest coming to yours, Barhany recommends trying new flavors.
“Bring a new dish to your Passover table, to your Thanksgiving table, to any table in order to celebrate the mosaic of Peoplehood and their deliciousness of food,” she said.
Learn more at TsionCafe.com. Follow @BeejhysGursha and @TsionCafe on Instagram.
For the full conversation, listen to the podcast:
YA FASSIKAH KITA / NAY WURENAH KICHA
Ethiopian Matzah
Feel free to use just one type of teff flour in this special Ethiopian matzah that is suitable for Passover because it does not rise, leaven or ferment. My grandmother made it every morning during Passover, mixing the batter right after she woke up and serving the matzah for breakfast. My family adhered so strictly to Jewish law that they ate it plain or with flaxseed: Less stringent eaters may enjoy it with Niter Kibbeh.
Makes 3 to 4 large matzahs
½ cup (115 grams) ivory teff flour
½ cup (115 grams) brown teff flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups (480 grams) lukewarm water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (omit if using a nonstick pan)
In a large bowl, use your hands to combine the teff flours, salt, and lukewarm water, breaking up clumps of flour, until smooth.
Warm a 12-inch skillet over high heat. If the skillet does not have a nonstick coating, add the oil and swirl to coat the pan.
Pour 1 cup batter into the center of the pan and use the bottom of a ladle to spread it over the surface of the pan. Cook until dry on top, about 3 minutes. Push a wide spatula underneath the matzah, and carefully flip it over. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the matzah is completely cooked through, about 3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve immediately.
From “Gursha: Timeless Recipes for Modern Kitchens, from Ethiopia, Israel, Harlem, and Beyond” © 2025 by Tevletz Barhany-John. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Debra Eckerling is a writer for the Jewish Journal and the host of “Taste Buds with Deb.” Subscribe on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform. Email Debra: tastebuds@jewishjournal.com.
