Ground lamb and bulgur wheat meatballs stuffed with pine nuts, onions, sometimes chunks of lamb then either baked, sautéed or fried to perfection.
Course Meat
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Keyword Traditional Middle Eastern Kibbeh Recipe
Prep Time 1 hourhour
Cook Time 1 hourhour
soaking 1 dayday
Total Time 1 dayday2 hourshours
Servings 8servings
Equipment
Large saute pan
Baking sheet pan
Ingredients
2lbGround lamb .or ground beef
1 1/2 cupsFine Bulgur wheat also called cracked wheat
2tspCinnamon
2 1/2tspSalt
1tspMarjoram
1tspBlack cuminNigella seed powder
1tbspLemon juice
2Garlic clovescrushed
Cold waterenough to cover the wheat
4tbspButter
1Large onion finely grated
Filling Ingredients
1Large Onion minced
8ozPine nuts
1tspCinnamon
1/2tspSalt
1/4cupOlive oilextra for cooking
Instructions
Place the wheat, lemon juice, crushed garlic, and a pinch of salt into a large bowl and cover with water. Cover the bowl and let it sit room temperature, overnight.
Drain off excess liquid from the bulgur mixture and squeeze out excess water from the soaked bulgur until the wheat looks flaky and not soggy.
Making The Filling - In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion, pine nuts, cinnamon and salt to the skillet and lightly sauté. Minced meat of often times added to this filling, but the pieces of meat must be chopped into small pieces. Remove from the stove and set aside while preparing the kibbeh.
Making The Kibbeh - In a large skillet, melt the butter and sauce the finely grated onion. Cool. Place the lamb into a large bowl, and break up the meat. Transfer the wheat to the bowl of meat, along with salt, marjoram, black cumin, cinnamon, cooled onion mixture and crushed garlic. Begin to squeeze and knead the meat and wheat together, as you would with bread dough, until all the spices are incorporated and you can barely see the difference between the wheat and the meat. This technique of 'kneading' the meat mixture is what makes its texture different from most other meatballs.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Football-shaped croquettes - If stuffed Kibbeh balls are what you will be making, begin making football-shaped balls from the mixture of ground meat and wheat, with damp hands. With your index finger, make a hole in the center of each ball of meat and with a small spoon, place a little filling inside of each, closing the hole (using wet hands makes is easier to work with the meat mixture), and set aside on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Heat a large frying pan on medium high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Quickly sear a golden brown finish on all sides of the meat balls. With a slotted spoon, remove and set on a baking sheet. Finish baking in the oven for about 25-minutes or until they are firm to the touch. OR
Baked Kibbeh In Diamond Shapes - If baked kibbeh is what you will be making, then separate the meat mixture in half. In a baking dish, press half of the meat mixture in the bottom of the dish for the bottom layer. Spread the filling over the bottom layer. Finish by placing small amounts of the remaining meat mixture on top of the filling and gently press and work the meat with your hands to cover the top layer. Before baking, diamond shapes are cut through the layers providing even cooking and any excess oils from the meat, to escape to the top to drain off after baking. Bake until the top layer is golden brown, about 40-minutes.
Fried Kibbeh - In some countries, as I have seen in Brazil and in the Dominican Republic at a local restaurant, I have been served kibbeh that is deep fried. Brazil even stuffs their Kibbeh with cheese. However, authentic Lebanese kibbeh and the kibbeh my Syrian mother made, was never fried, but rather done in the two ways I have given you here.