DISH RESEARCH · Main dish
Alicha Sega
A mild Ethiopian and Eritrean-style beef stew with turmeric, aromatics, potatoes and niter kibbeh.

About Alicha Sega
Alicha sega is a mild Ethiopian and Eritrean-style meat stew, with turmeric in place of the berbere-led red profile of key wot. This profile follows Hank Shaw's beef branch of the alicha he remembers cooking at Meselesh Ayele's Horn of Africa restaurant.
Beef, onion, ginger and garlic give the stew a deep savoury base. Turmeric brings warm earthiness and a golden colour, while niter kibbeh adds buttery richness and layered spice; serrano pepper is an optional source of fresh heat.
The finished stew is thick and spoonable, with tender pieces of beef and soft potato in a golden onion-rich sauce. It is substantial rather than fiery, with green chilli slices adding colour when included.
Allergens in this recipe
Contains: Milk.
Other allergen details are unconfirmed.
Ingredients vary by restaurant. Confirm your allergens with staff before ordering.
Ingredients in Alicha Sega
Hank Shaw's Horn of Africa restaurant-style beef alicha.
- OnionSweet aromatic
- Beef stew meatMain protein
- Niter kibbehSpiced cooking fat
- GingerAromatic
- GarlicAromatic
- TurmericMild spice
- SaltSeasoning
- PotatoStew vegetable
- Serrano pepperOptional fresh heat · Optional
- WaterStewing liquid
Ingredient details & uncertainties
Allergen information is incomplete. Unconfirmed details do not establish that an allergen is absent.
- Onion:
- Beef stew meat: . Beef is the selected named restaurant branch; venison and lamb remain unassembled alternatives.
- Niter kibbeh: . The linked selected formula is butter infused with shallot, garlic, ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, oregano, turmeric and fenugreek; Milk is source-confirmed.
- Ginger:
- Garlic:
- Turmeric:
- Salt:
- Potato:
- Serrano pepper (optional): . The source permits omitting the chiles or varying their amount, so this ingredient remains optional.
- Water:
Origins & food traditions
The selected recipe is explicitly attributed to an Eritrean-run Horn of Africa restaurant and describes the shared Ethiopian/Eritrean alicha style. This profile selects its documented beef branch and does not claim that one alicha formula is universally definitive.
Countries
- Ethiopia
- Eritrea
- EthiopiaCatalogue link pending review
Cuisines & regions
- Ethiopian
- Eritrean
- Ethiopian CuisineCatalogue link pending review
AI-generated illustration of one possible presentation. Recipes and ingredients vary; the image does not establish allergen content.