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Kibbeh

Kibbeh is a popular recipe of Levantine cuisine. It consists of a torpedo-shaped meatball, prepared with ground lamb or beef, wrapped in bulgur or rice, then fried.

Prep Time
50 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 50 mins
Servings: 6 people
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Middle Eastern , Lebanese , Syrian , Iraqi

Ingredients

For the crust
  • 2 cups fine bulgur (or burghul)
  • ⅓ cup fine semolina
  • ¼ lb lamb meat , ground
  • 1 egg white , beaten
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • pepper
For the filling
  • ½ lb lamb meat , ground twice
  • 2 onions
  • 1 bunch parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
  • 1 oz. pine nuts
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • salt
  • chili powder
Equipment
  • Hand blender

Instructions

Filling
    Cup of Yum
  1. Chop the onions and sauté over low heat in the oil.
  2. Add the meat and cook over high heat for 3 minutes and over medium heat for 15 minutes, uncovered, stirring regularly.
  3. Add spices, mix well, remove from heat and let cool.
  4. Dry roast the pine nuts
  5. Chop the parsley. Add both to the stuffing.
Crust
  1. In a bowl, add the bulgur and fine semolina.
  2. Pour 1 cup (250 ml) of boiling water, stir fast and let stand 10 minutes.
  3. With wet hands, add ¼ lb (100 g) of meat, salt, pepper, spices and egg white.
  4. Blend everything with the hand-blender to get to a fine and malleable dough.
  5. Shaping
  6. It is imperative for this step to have everything at hand: the dough, the stuffing, and a large bowl of water to constantly wet your hands. First, shape small balls of dough the size and shape of an egg.
  7. Using the thumb, dig and flatten the dough in order to get a cone shape. Place the meat inside.
  8. Close kibbeh by rolling it between the hands to form a stick with slightly pointed ends (torpedo-shaped).
  9. Finally, deep-fry the kibbehs until they are golden.