Eritrean cuisine has a similarity to Ethiopian cuisine, due to the presence of injera.
John Nechman writes: "High on my list of countries I’ve longed to visit is the East African nation of Eritrea, located on the Red Sea north of Ethiopia. The capital of Asmara is a remarkable hodgepodge of styles, including art deco, modernist, and Italian colonial buildings stemming from its history under Italian rule. The cuisine features influences of the Horn of Africa, particularly Ethiopia, with a tantalizing amount of Italy, especially pasta, mixed in. Asmara is known as “Piccola Roma,” and I’ve read that you haven’t lived la bella vita until you’ve tried Eritrean-style lasagna.
Until I make it to Eritrea in person, I’m thrilled to know that here in Houston, I can enjoy the nation’s cuisine right in the bustling heart of Gulfton at Adulis Bar & Restaurant (5800 Bellaire). And who better to share this experience with than my globe-trotting foodie pal Jay Francis, who arrived wearing a kulfi? Cultural inappropriateness aside, we proceeded to enjoy a phenomenal, eye-opening lunch of delights served up by the delightful owner Burhana and her helper, a lovely lady from Guerrero, México who described the folds of fluffy injera bread as “tortillas africanas.”
The restaurant is softly lit and inviting, filled with the smells of berbere, cardamon, and other intoxicating spices. The menu features several Eritrean specialties as well as a small section of panini. Though the restaurant has a bar, I don’t think they offer much more of a selection of beverages than basic non-alcohol items (but I’d be willing to bet they’re BYOB).
I recognized tibs on the menu from past experiences with Ethiopian food. Tibs is like a stir fry stew eaten with hand-held scoops of that fermented injera bread. I’ve had some off-putting experiences in the past with injera that was just too fermented in flavor, but the version here called Awaze Tibs is perfect—spongy in a way that lets it soak up the juices of the stew but with just the right hit of sourness that exudes the qualities of a quality sourdough bread. The beef tips are sauteed with onions and 3 different kinds of peppers and cooked in berbere. This was poured atop a large, flatter injera “pancake” and sided with sauteed collard greens and a fresh chopped salad. It’s spicy but not sweat-inducing—a masterful platter.
Jay ordered a stew called shuro, featuring chickpeas in a creamy blend of berbere, garlic, butter, and cumin. Burhana scooped this onto the main platter around the tibs, and as an added bonus, she came by later and added scoops of lentils mashed in spices. On the side was served a Greek-like yogurt that combined beautifully with the tips and the shuro.
Though this was a huge amount of food (plenty of leftovers!), we added a panini made with an omelette of chives In a large telera-style roll with tomatoes, onions, lettuce, pepper, potatoes and a green sauce called “Adulis sauce” that also came with a complimentary order of chips. The salsa reminded us both of a classic salsa verde from Mexico.
Burhana insisted that we enjoy a cup of Eritrean-style coffee, redolent of cardamon, and though served in a cup not much larger than a thimble, it still packs a wallop. This little Eritrean espresso is a perfect exclamation point to a meal I won’t soon forget—I look forward to many future visits to this gem of a place!
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