🇪🇷 Week 5: Exploring Eritrean Cuisine – Tsebhi with My Mother-in-Law

For the final week of my #LearningProject, I had the special opportunity to cook Tsebhi, a traditional Eritrean stew, with my mother-in-law. After weeks of using digital resources, it was such a refreshing and meaningful change to cook alongside someone in person, especially someone who brings so much lived experience and cultural knowledge into the kitchen.

Why Cooking Together is So Valuable

This week was a reminder that cooking can be more than just following instructions, it can be about connection, conversation, and community. Cooking with my mother-in-law was relaxed, fun, and honestly, a lot easier than following a video or written recipe. She told me what to do, and I followed. We cooked side by side. It flowed naturally, and it felt less like learning and more like spending time together.

There’s something special about learning through doing, especially when the instructions come with stories, laughter, and a few “add more until the ancestors say stop” moments.

Digital vs. In-Person Learning

Over the last five weeks, I’ve explored a variety of learning tools, TikTok, YouTube, blogs,the Tasty app, and while they’ve all helped me develop my skills, nothing compared to this week’s experience.

Here’s what I found:

Digital Platforms:
✔️ Easy to access anytime
✔️ Visually helpful with step-by-step videos
✔️ Great when you’re learning solo

In-Person Cooking (like this week):
✔️ Real-time feedback and correction
✔️ Easier to follow without overthinking
✔️ Built-in connection and memory-making

For me, this in-person cooking session was by far the most relaxed, enjoyable, and confidence-boosting. I wasn’t worried about missing a step or getting the timing wrong, my mother-in-law guided me through it with ease and warmth.

How We Made Tsebhi

We gathered the ingredients together, and I was able to snap a picture of everything laid out although most of the magic happened while we were just chatting and cooking together.

Ingredients

2 onions, diced

4 fresh tomatoes, chopped

Fresh garlic and ginger, pureed (about 2 tsp total)

1 lb of meat, cut into chunks

1–2 jalapeños, sliced the long way

About 4 tbsp of Berbere, an Eritrean chili spice

Tesmi (spiced clarified butter from Eritrea)

Korerima (Eritrean cardamom), about 1 tsp

Oil for sautéing

Can of diced tomatoes strained and put the tomato juices to the side

Steps:

1. Sauté the onions in oil until soft.

2.  Add Berbere spice—we went heavy here for that deep, rich flavour.

3. Stir in the garlic and ginger puree.

4. Add the meat chunks and let it cook, soaking up all that beautiful spice.

5. Add chopped tomatoes and the diced tomatoes

6. Season with Korerima and stir in a spoonful of Tesmi for that buttery finish.

 7. Let it all simmer down, add the jalapeño and tomato juices to make more saucey

We served the Tsebhi with injera, and I snapped a photo of the final plated dish—it turned out amazing!

 

Final Thoughts

Cooking Tsebhi with my mother-in-law was not only delicious, it was a truly meaningful way to connect with culture, family, and tradition. The hands-on, in-person guidance made the entire process feel natural and intuitive—there’s something special about learning from someone directly, especially when the recipe has been passed down through generations.

While digital resources like YouTube, TikTok, and apps like Tasty are fantastic for accessibility and visuals, nothing quite compares to the personal warmth and spontaneity of cooking side-by-side with someone. There’s room for questions, shared laughter, tips you won’t find in a recipe card, and a deepened appreciation for the dish you’re making.

Next week, I’ll be heading to the 🇺🇸USA as I try my hand at homemade burgers and fries with deep fried Oreos. Stay tuned for a sizzling conclusion to my global food journey!