Gomen (Ethiopian Collard Greens)
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This authentic Ethiopian side dish known as Gomen takes eating healthy greens to a whole new level of deliciousness! A quick, simple, healthy, and thoroughly yummy side dish!
If you’re looking for an authentic Ethiopian veggie side dish to serve with your Ethiopian entree, Gomen (aka Ye’abesha Gomen) is among the most popular and delicious.
Or if you’re simply looking for a wonderfully flavorful way to enjoy those healthy greens, look no further.
Gomen is traditionally made with collard greens but kale works equally well. You can also use spinach but I prefer the crispiness of the collards or kale.
This traditional Ethiopian side dish can be found in most Ethiopian restaurants and pairs wonderfully with any number of Ethiopian meat and vegetarian dishes including doro wat, sega wat and misir wat, to name a few.
Above picture: The gomen is in the top left corner of the platter to the left of the lettuce. A variety of Ethiopian dishes are commonly served for a meal and instead of serving them on a plate are served on injera, Ethiopian flatbread. Additional injera is served on the side and pieces are torn off and used as utensils to scoop up the food.
To make Ethiopian Gomen you need an ingredient called niter kibbeh, which is an Ethiopian spiced clarified butter. It is made using the same method as Indian ghee in which the butter is heated and the butterfat is separated from the milk solids. Niter kibbeh is infused with a variety of fragrant herbs and spices resulting in a clarified butter that is highly aromatic and flavorful. Niter kibbeh is an essential ingredient in Ethiopian cuisine, including Gomen, and there are no adequate substitutes.
Niter kibbeh is extremely easy to make and keeps for several months in the fridge. While you can buy niter kibbeh online, nothing compares to the flavor and fragrance of homemade. Check out our recipe for Authentic Niter Kibbeh (Ethiopian Spiced Clarified Butter).
Okay, let’s make some Gomen!
Gomen Recipe
Let’s get started!
Heat the niter kibbeh in a pan over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic, ginger and spices and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the collard greens and another tablespoon of niter kibbeh and cook until the collards turn bright green and are wilted but still slightly crispy, 5-7 minutes. Add more spices and/or niter kibbeh to taste.
This is a highly versatile side dish and pairs with virtually any Ethiopian entree.
Enjoy!
For more delicious Ethiopian recipes be sure to try our:
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Gomen (Ethiopian Collard Greens)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons niter kibbeh (plus an extra tablespoon for later)
- 1 large yellow onion , halved and thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 bunch collard greens (about 12 ounces) , washed, thick stems removed, roughly chopped (can also use kale)
Instructions
- Heat niter kibbeh in a pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and spices and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the collard greens and another tablespoon of niter kibbeh and cook until the collards turn bright green and are wilted but still a slightly crispy, 5-7 minutes. Add more spices and/or niter kibbeh to taste.
Nutrition
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
This was really delicious. I think the niter kibbeh really takes this over the top. We used some organic collards that we’d grown last summer, blanched and frozen. They worked well in your recipe. We eat plant based so made our niter kibbeh with plant based butter. It was terrific. Thank you so much. We will be growing extra collards this summer!
Fantastic, Joan, thank you! Funny timing, I just transplanted my collards from my greenhouse into my garden yesterday – looking forward to a big harvest this year :)
really yummy. I had”Ethiopian night” with my family. Made 3 of your recipies. Lots of chopping, dicing, cooking and cleaning of dishes, but oh my-delicious! Thank you!
That’s wonderful, Mary, what a fun night and I’m so glad all the recipes were a hit, thank you!
Pretty much the only change was mixing in some cooked rice I had to use up. Delicious and spicy!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Tariq, thank you!
My culture food is fantastic!!!!!
Thank you for posting this! I think I requested it a few weeks ago. Making Doro Wat tonight so will make Gomen to go with it. You are fantastic!!
You sure did, Monti, you’re welcome! :) Hope you enjoy both the doro wat and the gomen!
Hey Kimberly,
Do you reckon I can use two teaspoons of berbere instead?
Its just I have loaaads of berbere left from when I made your delicious misir wat recipe, so would like to use that instead!
Thanks
Nina
Absolutely, Nina, berbere is perfect!
Thanks for the suggestion to use berbere. I also had some extra from the doro wat I made, and I didn’t have the other spices in the recipe. I came out great. Thanks for a delicious recipe, Kimberly!
Thank you, Judy!
What a great recipe! I have to put this on my menu!
Bring on the greens! These look so good!
I am so excited to try this recipe! It looks delicious, and I love the vibrant color of the greens!
Thank you Kimberly!
These sound so flavorful!
Are you able to tell me exactly what Collard means, in this context, please? It is a word that I have been unable to get a handle on for many years!
Where the term “collard” comes from I don’t know but they’re in the cabbage family. They’re large loose leaves, similar to kale.
Yes, collards have often larger leaves if you compare them to kale at a market’s produce section. The best time to buy collard greens is in the cool season. It’s at this time of year that collards and other greens are at their sweetest. If still in doubt, the produce personnel can guide you to what you’re looking for. Should you find kale enjoyable, try growing your own for amazing freshness and flavor.
Hi Linda, definitely, we grow our own greens every year (kale, collards, Swiss chard, spinach, etc) and the flavor and nutrition are vastly superior.
Kimberly, I’m so excited you posted this! This is my absolute favorite Ethiopian dish, hands down! I also love the cabbage dish (I forget the name). I’ll be trying this one this week. All of your recipes I’ve cooked have turned out fabulous and I’m sure this will be no exception. I thank you and my family thanks you :)
Looks absolutely awesome! This is my kind of side dish, adding to my list of must makes!
I think this is how I would love to eat collard greens! Love the spice mix!