Lebanon · Lebanon

Kibbeh

Name: Kibbeh
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Lebanon
Ingredients: fine bulgur wheat 200 g; lean lamb, ground 300 g; onion, finely diced 100 g; ground lamb 250 g; pine nuts 30 g; ground cinnamon 2 g; ground allspice 2 g; salt 5 g; ground black pepper 1 g; vegetable oil, for frying 500 ml

Football-shaped bulgur-and-lamb shells stuffed with spiced ground lamb and onions, fried until deep golden.

50 minutes · 6 servings · Moderate

Kibbeh is the national dish, and it is far more demanding than its ingredients suggest. The shell is bulgur worked with a little ice and oil until it is pliable enough to form around the filling without cracking, and the lamb filling must be seasoned enough to stand on its own inside. Shaping by hand, one football at a time, is the part nobody can skip.

Ingredients

fine bulgur wheat200 g
lean lamb, ground300 g
onion, finely diced100 g
ground lamb250 g
pine nuts30 g
ground cinnamon2 g
ground allspice2 g
salt5 g
ground black pepper1 g
vegetable oil, for frying500 ml

Directions

1
Soak bulgur in cool water until just tender; drain and squeeze dry.
Bulgur is tender with no chalky core.
2
Process bulgur with the lean lamb, onion and a pinch of salt until a smooth paste forms.
Paste holds together when pressed.
3
Cook onion in oil, add ground lamb, pine nuts, cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper and cook until browned.
Filling is browned and dry enough to spoon. Cook ground lamb filling to 71°C internal temperature.
4
Shape the shell paste around spoonfuls of filling into ovals, then fry in hot oil until deep golden.
Kibbeh are deep golden and crisp on all sides. Reheat any leftover filling to 74°C.

Source: WorldBite Editorial · WorldBite Proprietary Editorial Content