September 23, 2022

Lamb Kibbeh, The Best Kibbeh

Name: Lamb Kibbeh
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 24
Ingredients: 500 g. fine bulgur; 3 liters of water; 1 bunch of parsley, 30 g; 600 g of ground lamb meat; 1 large white onion, finely chopped, 100 g; ¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped; ½ teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon of pepper; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon; Salt to taste; 500 g. ground lamb (you can also use a mixture of equal parts ground lamb and beef); 2 tablespoons of oil; 1 white onion, finely chopped, 100 g.; 2 cloves of garlic; 2 tablespoons fulful bhar combined spices (white pepper, 7-spices, hot paprika, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, and coriander); 1 cup of toasted pine nuts, 100 g.; 2 cups of oil for frying, 500 ml

LAMB KIBBEH, THE BEST KIBBEH

Lamb kibbeh is an amazing dish from the Middle East, very common in Armenia, Syria, and Lebanon. Some compare it to meatballs, and some others think that they are more similar to croquettes. However, none of those comparisons do it justice, the kibbeh is so much better. Although there are many variations, in general, kibbeh contains bulgur, beef or lamb, vegetables, and spices. Regarding the cooking method, it can be fried or baked.
This is the type of dish that even children love, and preparing it is not as difficult as it sounds.

How is the Lamb Kibbeh prepared?

The kibbeh is mainly made up of bulgur and lamb. More specifically, to prepare this kibbeh recipe, you will need bulgur, lamb, onion, pine nuts, wheat flour, oil, and spices. The first thing you should do is cook the bulgur in boiling water, seasoned with parsley and salt. It is very important to ensure that the bulgur is very soft. After cooking, you have to drain the excess water and let it rest until it is warm or cold, and it is possible to manipulate it. While the bulgur is cooling, chop the lamb into tiny pieces. If you can get ground lamb from your butcher shop, it's so much better. Then the chives, onion, and garlic are sautéed with the seasonings. Immediately add half of the lamb, and cook as well. This will be the filling. The rest of the raw lamb is kneaded together with the bulgur to form the balls that will be the outer part of the kibbeh. Later, with the bulgur and lamb dough, make some medium balls. These balls should have a hole in the center. That hole will be filled with the stir-fried lamb, as well as pine nuts and other spices. Then, very carefully, you have to close that hole and give the kibbeh the characteristic oval shape. Once you have finished sealing, you will pass each unit through wheat flour so that they do not stick. You heat the pan with a little oil, and you start to fry each one, constantly turning. When everything is cooked, you place it wrapped in a kitchen cloth and put it on the table; the cloth will help retain heat.

Kibbeh types by countries

The kibbeh has become known in many western countries, where today it is prepared according to the tradition of each region. Kibbeh is served at social gatherings, and is also sold in food stores; sometimes they sell it raw to cook it at home. Each country has its way of calling it and its peculiarity when preparing it. For example, in Colombia, they call it quibbe, and some of its characteristics are that they prepare it fried and with ground meat inside.
As a counterpart, in the Dominican Republic, they call it quipe, and they generally fill it with chicken and raisins. In Argentina it is cooked in the oven, with meat, olives, and cheese; and it is called kippi. In Bolivia, they prepare it in a very similar way to Argentina, but they call it Kepy. In Mexico, they call it kepe, with the peculiarity that they fill it with cabbage salad.

Best Seasonings for Lamb Kibbeh

Any seasoning can be used to make the kibbeh, depending on the taste of your palate. But to make life easier, you can season with a little cumin and salt. However, if you want to prepare the lamb kibbeh in all its rigor, it is better to make the mixture of spices known as "fulful bhar". Fulful bhar contains white pepper, allspice, hot paprika, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, and coriander.

Ways to eat Kibbeh

In many countries, kibbeh is consumed as a snack at social gatherings. But this dish has also been present in the homes of many of the families outside the Arab countries. That is why every day more consumers prefer this recipe. In some places, they serve it in the middle of the afternoon, and they accompany it with their respective drink. In other places, they serve it with rice, and they even put a little yogurt on it; But there is no essential rule for tasting kibbeh.
It is very common to accompany it with pita bread, and other mezzes.

Lamb Kibbeh

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Servings

24 Kibbeh

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Ingredients

500 g. fine bulgur
3 liters of water
1 bunch of parsley, 30 g
600 g of ground lamb meat
1 large white onion, finely chopped, 100 g
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon of pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt to taste

For the filling

500 g. ground lamb (you can also use a mixture of equal parts ground lamb and beef)
2 tablespoons of oil
1 white onion, finely chopped, 100 g.
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons fulful bhar combined spices (white pepper, 7-spices, hot paprika, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, and coriander)
1 cup of toasted pine nuts, 100 g.
2 cups of oil for frying, 500 ml

Directions

Wash the bulgur in cold water, and let it soak for about twenty minutes.
While the bulgur is soaking. Place the ground lamb, onion, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, pepper, and salt in a food processor. Grind these ingredients at least twice until you get a homogeneous dough. When this dough is ready, put it in a large bowl.
Drain the excess water from the bulgur, and pour it on top of the lamb meat dough and spices. Moisten your hands and mix the bulgur with the lamb as well as possible. Cover the bowl, and store it in the fridge, while you prepare the filling.

For the filling:

heat the oil in a frying pan, and when it is bubbling, add the chopped onion and crushed garlic. Sauté them for about three to five minutes.
When the onion is translucent, add the ground beef. Cook for about five minutes over high heat. With a large spoon, shred the meat while cooking.
When the meat is browned, season with the fulful bhar spice mix, and stir well. Remove from heat.

For the kibbeh:

With wet hands, divide the dough into 24 golf ball-sized pieces. Then, take the pieces of dough one at a time and roll them into balls the size of a golf ball. Press your finger into the center of each ball to make a hole.
Inside each hole, place the filling in the center, along with some toasted pine nuts. Close the dough. Then shape it like a football - an oval with pointed ends. Repeat the process until the dough is finished. Remember to moisten your hands frequently so that it does not stick.
Place the oil in a skillet, and heat it over medium/high heat. When it is bubbling, fry the kibbeh in batches. Cook them for about six minutes on average, turning occasionally until they are dark golden brown.
Remove the kibbeh from the pan, and drain on absorbent paper to remove excess oil.
Serve the kibbeh with tahini sauce and pita bread.
Note: Some pass the kibbeh through wheat flour before frying them, but this is not mandatory. Although they are more homogeneous.