Kat Thompson
This Passover recipe from the ‘Gursha’ cookbook is simple and hearty
“I always remember the excitement around Passover, which revolved around renewal and new beginnings,” says Beejhy Barhany, the author of Gursha: Timeless Recipes for Modern Kitchens from Ethiopian, Israel, Harlem, and Beyond. For Barhany, Passover was a time to reunite with family over a meal served in handmade pottery, breaking the dishes that were created the prior year as a symbol for the new beginnings. The meal had to include a freshly slaughtered lamb or goat, as well as ye tikil gomen alicha, or what Barhany refers to as “music-in-your-mouth cabbage.”
“Cabbage has been in the Ethiopian kitchen for ages,” Barhany says. “It’s a versatile vegetable packed with nutrients and is so flexible that you can eat it raw, pickle it, sauté it, stew it, or braise it.” The music-in-your-mouth cabbage is braised alongside potatoes and carrots and seasoned with roasted korarima (a nutty Ethiopian seed that’s related to cardamom), black pepper, and, most importantly, turmeric.
Ethiopians typically celebrate the New Year in September, during a holiday called Meskel.
“[During that] holiday there is a flower that blooms bright yellow,” Barhany explains. “The bright yellow in Ethiopia is associated with new beginnings as well, therefore for Passover we also try to [incorporate] yellow by using turmeric.”
Barhany’s cabbage stew recipe is easy and approachable, but also transformative. The cabbage absorbs the flavors of garlic and ginger while dry-sautéed onions add mild sweetness. To prevent muddying the spices, especially the korerima seeds, Barhany saves the aromatics for the very end of the cooking process, using residual heat to allow them to warm through without burning or altering the flavors too drastically. “I also recommend not cooking the carrots too long so there is a bit of crunch,” she advises. “When added on with the korarima, [the dish] becomes aromatic and exquisite; simple yet musical.”
Ye Tikil Gomen Alicha/Caulo Recipe
Music-in-Your-Mouth Cabbage with Potatoes and Carrots
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
3 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced crosswise into half-moons ½ inch thick
2 white potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 yellow onions, sliced into thin half-moons
½ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
¾ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
1 head green cabbage (1½–2 pounds), cored and cut into 1-inch-wide strips
1 tablespoon ginger/garlic paste, or 2 teaspoons minced garlic plus 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 jalapeño, trimmed and cut lengthwise into four long strips (seeded if you want less heat)
½ teaspoon Ground Roasted Korarima (recipe follows)
Instructions:
Step 1: In a large bowl, cover the carrots and potatoes with cold water and soak at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients.
Step 2: In a large deep pot with no oil, sauté the onions over medium heat until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the oil. Drain the carrots and potatoes and add them to the pot. Cover and cook, stirring constantly, to soften the vegetables, about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Stir in the turmeric, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots and potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in the cabbage, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has shrunk and softened, about 15 minutes.
Step 4: Stir in the garlic/ginger mixture, jalapeño, and korarima. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper, if necessary.
Ground Roasted Korarima Recipe
Makes about ¼ cup
Ingredients:
About ⅓ cup korarima seeds
Instructions:
Step 1: Warm a medium nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the korarima seeds and roast until shiny and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate or bowl and let cool completely.
Step 2: Transfer to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind into a powder. Transfer to an airtight container.
Step 3: Store at room temperature for up to 3 months.
From GURSHA: Timeless Recipes for Modern Kitchens, from Ethiopia, Israel, Harlem, and Beyond © 2025 by Tevletz Barhany-John. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
