Spiced Ethiopian Cottage Cheese with Collard Greens (Ayib Be Gomen Recipe) (2024)

By: Author Kate

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Spice up your dinner with Ayib Be Gomen (Spiced Ethiopian Cottage Cheese served over Sauteed Collard Greens) - a delicious, healthy side dish or appetizer.

Spiced Ethiopian Cottage Cheese with Collard Greens (Ayib Be Gomen Recipe) (1)

Ethiopian cottage cheese recipe

A couple of weeks ago we visited our friends who live in the Boston area. For lunch, we went out for Ethiopian food in Boston.

Have you ever had Ethiopian food? No? Well, it is SO GOOD. If you like curries, stews, spices, amazing flavors with lots of depth, you'll love Ethiopian food.

Ethiopian food is usually served on a large platter family style. And the platter is lined with injera bread, which is kind of like a giant spongy crepe. You have to rip off pieces of injera and use it as a utensil, to pick up chunks of stewed meat, flavorful chickpeas and lentils, and to sop up the juices. Yummy. It's a fun eating experience.

Whenever we go out for Ethiopian we usually get some kind of combo meal, sort of an 'Ethiopian 101,' if you will. Most restaurants have this option on their menu. Everything we've ever had from that section of the menu has always been good, even if I can't always remember the names of the things I am eating.

This time we decided to try a couple of appetizers too. One of the things we got was this awesome Spiced Ethiopian Cottage Cheese served with sauteed collard greens. It was called Ayib Begomen.

Ayib means cheese, and gomen means collard greens (based on my googling). I absolutely loved this appetizer.

It was different than the other Ethiopian food we had, and as we were eating it, it occurred to me that I can totally make this at home! That's one of my favorite things about cooking - trying something new and having that light bulb go off in my head when I realize I can make this for myself anytime!

So after dinner, we stopped by an Ethiopian grocery store and bought some Ethiopian spices. I got some berbereand some mitmita. Both are Ethiopian spice blends. Mitmita is super spicy, but berbere is just a bit spicy but also has so much flavor.

I've been using the spices in lots of recipes, such as my Ethiopian Chicken Stew, side dishes such as my Ethiopian Chickpeas, pan-fried potatoes, and for this recipe Ayib Begomen recipe:

Spiced Ethiopian Cottage Cheese with Collard Greens (Ayib Be Gomen Recipe) (2)

So back to this Ethiopian Cottage Cheese recipe! Traditionally you're supposed to eat it with injera, but I didn't have time for that this time.If you don't want to bother with injera, I bet this would be amazing on a pita or on some roti.

We just had this as a side dish, and we devoured it in one sitting. So if you're cooking for more than 2 people, I would say double this recipe.

This was so easy to make and is a super healthyside or snack since it contains so much protein from the cottage cheese and lots of collard greens. If I was to make a habit of this, I would cut down on the butter ormaybe use olive oil. But for the first time, I wanted to make it extra delicious, so 4 tablespoons of butter went into this. Yum.

So if you want to try something new, different, and delicious, I really urge you to try making this Ethiopian spiced cottage cheese. It's a wonderful appetizer or snack!

And if you're still here, you might be interested in checking out more savory cottage cheese recipes!

Oh, and if you're interested in trying more easy Ethiopian recipes, check out my Ethiopian Chicken Stew and Ethiopian Chickpeas:

Ethiopian Chicken Stew:

Ethiopian Chickpeas:

Spiced Ethiopian Cottage Cheese with Collard Greens (Ayib Be Gomen Recipe) (5)

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5 from 6 votes

Spiced Ethiopian Cottage Cheese with Collard Greens (Ayib Begomen Recipe)

Spice up your dinner with Ayib Begomen (Spiced Ethiopian Cottage Cheese served over Sauteed Collard Greens) - a delicious, healthy side dish or appetizer. Keto-friendly, too!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Snack

Cuisine: African, Ethiopian

Servings: 2

Author: Kate

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • ½ small yellow onion - , diced
  • 3 garlic cloves - , minced
  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom powder
  • ½ lb collard greens - (about 10-15 large leaves), chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon salt - , or to taste
  • 1 cup cottage cheese - (any kind, I used fat free)
  • ½ teaspoon berbereseasoning

Instructions

  • In a large skillet, melt the butter, and add the diced onion, minced garlic, and ground cardamom. Saute for 3 minutes until the onion softens and turns a nice yellow color.

  • Add the sliced collard green leaves and season with salt. Saute for a few minutes, and then cover with a lid and let the collard greens steam in the skillet for 10 minutes.

  • In the meantime, add the ½ teaspoon berbere to the cottage cheese and mix.

    To serve, make a bed of sauteed collard greens, and place the spiced cottage cheese on top of the leaves. If you have some injera, pita bread, or roti around, they would go well with this side dish or snack.

Notes

Berbere mixtures can vary in spice, so if you know you don't like things too spicy, err on the side of caution. You can always add more later, you can't take it out. 🙂

Nutrition

Calories: 346kcal (17%) | Carbohydrates: 11g (4%) | Protein: 15g (30%) | Fat: 27g (42%) | Saturated Fat: 16g (80%) | Cholesterol: 78mg (26%) | Sodium: 892mg (37%) | Potassium: 368mg (11%) | Fiber: 4g (16%) | Sugar: 3g (3%) | Vitamin A: 6540IU (131%) | Vitamin C: 41.4mg (50%) | Calcium: 365mg (37%) | Iron: 0.5mg (3%)

The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.

Spiced Ethiopian Cottage Cheese with Collard Greens (Ayib Be Gomen Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

Is Ayib a cottage cheese? ›

Ayib, a traditional Ethiopian cottage cheese, is a popular milk product consumed by the various ethnic groups of the country. It is made from sour milk after the butter is removed by churning.

What is Ethiopian Gomen made of? ›

Ethiopian Collard Greens aka Ye'abasha Gomen- Braised collard greens and kale seasoned with aromatics.

What does Ayib cheese taste like? ›

"[This is] a soft cheese with a mild flavor, similar to a ricotta or cottage cheese," explains recipe developer Kara Barrett. Likewise, the berbere isn't all that different from spices common to North American or Asian cooking. "[It's] a traditional Ethiopian spice that is hot and peppery.

What is Ayib in English? ›

Ayib (አይብ, Homemade Fresh Cheese)

Ayib (አይብ) is a fresh Ethiopian cheese perfect for contrasting the heat of a variety of dishes.

What is a crucial ingredient in Ethiopian cuisine? ›

Fenugreek seeds are ground and used as a key ingredient in the Ethiopian berbere. The seeds are also used to make injera and niter kibbeh. Cardamom is the third most expensive spice after saffron and vanilla. The Ethiopian cardamom is known as "false cardamom".

What is the difference between Eritrean and Ethiopian food? ›

Overall, Eritrean cuisine strongly resembles that of neighboring Ethiopia, although Eritrean cooking tends to feature more seafood than Ethiopian cuisine on account of its coastal location.

Is Ethiopian food healthy? ›

Ethiopian cuisine is not only healthy and nutritious, but also a great way to expose children to new flavors and teach them about another part of the world at the same time. What kids will love most about Ethiopian food is that you use your hands — exclusively! Though a tad messy at times, it's the perfect finger food.

What spice is good in cottage cheese? ›

Directions. Mix cottage cheese, 1 clove of garlic, cardamom, and cloves thoroughly in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

What spices go well in cottage cheese? ›

Combine the cottage cheese, dill, tarragon, chives, salt and white pepper in a small bowl. Spread about 1/4 cup of the cottage cheese mixture on each slice of warm toast.

What is the best thing to mix with cottage cheese? ›

When you combine it with veggies, nuts or fruit, you get a satisfying yet healthy twist to an old favorite.
  • Avocados with Cilantro & Tomatoes. ...
  • Bananas & Pecans. ...
  • Beets & Baby Romaine. ...
  • Blackberries & Walnuts. ...
  • Blueberries & Almonds. ...
  • Figs with Pistachios & Cardamom. ...
  • Granny Smith Apples & Cinnamon. ...
  • Grapefruit with Mint & Honey.
Dec 22, 2014

Why eat cottage cheese at night? ›

It turns out consuming 30 grams of protein 30 minutes before bed—the amount in a little more than a cup of cottage cheese—was linked to stronger muscles, a quicker metabolism and better overall health in a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

How does cottage cheese burn belly fat? ›

What is in cottage cheese that burns fat? Cottage cheese itself does not burn fat. But it is high in protein, with 25 grams per one cup serving. Fat is burned through exercise and moving your body.

Is cottage cheese good for your stomach? ›

Besides the reasons outlined above, cottage cheese may help with gut health. Since it is often fermented, (a process that helps remove the cheese curds from the liquid) cottage cheese may contain “good” bacteria called probiotics. Snodgrass says probiotics are “crucial” to good digestion.

Is cream cheese a cottage cheese? ›

Cream cheese is similar to cottage cheese but is higher in fat content, cottage cheese being made from skim or nonfat milk. In certain countries, including Canada and the United States, cream cheese is defined as consisting of about one-third milk fat, with a moisture content of 55 percent.

Is ricotta basically cottage cheese? ›

They are both soft, white, fresh cheeses, but there are several differences that make each type of cheese unique. Texture: Ricotta cheese is made from very fine curds, resulting in a smooth but slightly grainy texture. Cottage cheese, on the other hand, contains more liquid and is lumpier than ricotta.

What is Ayib cheese in English? ›

Ayib (aka Ayibe) is a soft Ethiopian fresh cheese similar to cottage cheese. It is usually made at home or through farmhouse production, as a by-product of making butter (just as cottage cheese is in western cuisine.)

Is cottage cheese same as Labneh? ›

It's technically cheese

Labneh is made by adding salt to yogurt and hanging it in a cheesecloth to drain the whey (liquid), which will result in a creamy spread. This result qualifies as a cheese, similarly to cream cheese and cottage cheese.

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