Kibbeh Recipe (Beef And Bulgur Wheat Meatballs)

Middle Eastern kibbeh is a finely ground paste of bulgur, onions, and lamb or beef, which is formed into patties or balls, filled with coarsely ground, sweetly spiced meat, onions, and pine nuts, and deep-fried.

MAKES 16

Ingredients

For the Filling

• 1 tbsp. olive oil, plus more to garnish
• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 8 oz. ground beef sirloin
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1⁄4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1⁄4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1 tbsp. ground sumac, plus more to garnish

For the Shell

• 1 1⁄2 cups fine bulgur
• 1 tbsp. kosher salt
• 1⁄2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 1⁄2 lb. lamb shoulder, trimmed of all fat and sinew
• Canola oil, for frying
• Plain yogurt, for serving
• Mint leaves, to garnish

Instructions

For the filling: Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add beef, and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Add salt, allspice, and cinnamon, and cook, stirring, until meat begins to brown, about 4 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl, stir in nuts and sumac and let cool.

For the shell: Rinse bulgur, squeeze out excess water, and place in a large bowl. Add salt, allspice, cinnamon, pepper, and onion, and set aside. Grind lamb twice in a meat grinder, and add to bulgur mixture; knead mixture in the bowl into a pliable paste, about 5 minutes. Cover bowl with a clean dish towel.

Shape about 1⁄4 cup of the bulgur-meat paste into a ball, moistening your hands with water as you work. Hold the ball in one hand and insert index finger of another hand into center to form a hole. Shape ball into a thin-walled (about 1⁄4"-thick) oval with an opening at one end by molding ball around the finger, gradually tapering closed end. Mend any cracks in the shell with a moistened finger. Fill the hole with 1 1⁄2 tbsp. of the filling. Moisten edges of the opening, then gather edges together to seal. Gently form kibbeh into the shape of an egg, and keep moist under a clean dish towel. Repeat shaping with remaining filling and bulgur-meat paste to make 16 egg-shaped balls in all.

Pour oil to a depth of 2" into a 6-qt. Dutch oven and heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 375°. Working in batches, fry kibbeh until browned all over, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Transfer to a serving platter, and spoon some yogurt on the platter alongside the kibbeh. Drizzle oil over yogurt, and sprinkle with more sumac. Serve with mint leaves on the side.

Grilled Kibbeh Recipe

Serves  - 4 Persons
Preparation Time  - 30 Minutes
Cook Time  - 20 Minutes

A great revisited Middle Eastern recipe prepared with a little hot sauce. It’s worth trying, check it now!

INGREDIENTS

•  500 g ground meat
•  250 g fine bulgur soaked in water for 30 minutes
•  1tsp black pepper
•  1tsp cumin
•  1 halved onion
•  1 tsp salt
•  1 tsp cinnamon
•  1 tsp dried mint
•  1 tsp allspice
•  Vegetable oil to grease the grill, as needed
•  2 tbsp American Garden hot sauce Louisiana Style

PREPARATION

1- In a food processor, process the meat with the bulgur and onion.
2- Season with salt, black pepper, cinnamon, dried mint, allspice, and cumin. Mix well until combined.
3- Knead the ingredients using hot sauce until the meat dough is homogenous.
4- Divide into the medium-sized ball and shape into fingers.
5- Preheat the grill and oil it evenly.
6- Grill the kibbeh until done.

Note: Allspice is a mixture of spices and herbs widely used in the Middle Eastern cuisine. It can be prepared easily at home from different spices such as cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, dried lime, and Curcuma. Use it to enrich your savory dishes!

Vegan Lentil Kibbeh: Vospove Patties Recipe

A dish typical of our Armenian Lebanese Subculture, the Lentil Kibbeh is known as the Vospove Kafta.

It is purely Vegan, very nutritious with Red Lentils, Burghul, fresh Parsley and fried onions. It sparkles the palate with spicy pepper paste, and is mostly consumed with Oriental Salad.* Adopted from Easy Lebanese Recipes.

Servings 6 ppl | Prep Time  25 minutes | Cook Time 30 minutes |  Passive Time  35-40 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups Red Lentil washed
• 2 Onions (medium) chopped finely
• 1/2 bouquet Fresh parsley chopped finely
• 1 1/2 cups Fine Burghul
• 1 tbsp Pepper paste or chili pepper
• 1 tbsp Paprika
• 1 tbsp Cumin
• 4 1/2 cups Water boiled
• 1/2 cup Pure Olive Oil for cooking (not virgin)
• 1 tbsp Salt 

To Garnish

Fresh parsley finely chopped
Lettuce shells (small) Optional

Instructions

1. In a casserole, bring the water to a boil, stir in the lentils, and season with salt. Cover, and lower the heat for the lentils to simmer for about 20 minutes or until they turned into a creamy paste.
2. Remove the casserole from the heat, and stir in the Burghul, cumin, pepper paste and paprika. Cover and leave it for the ingredients to adhere and the lentils to absorb all the liquid (about 35-40 minutes)
3. Meanwhile, fry the onions in preheated oil until golden, and chop the parsley.
4. Add the fried onions and parsley into the lentil casserole and mix all very well with a wooden spoon. Move all the culinary preparation into a salad bowl and leave it to cool at room temperature.
5. With a tablespoon, and hands dipped in cold water, scoop from the Lentil Kibbeh 1 tbsp at a time and squeeze gently lengthwise. Place them gradually on the serving plate.

Garnish

Decorate with lettuce shells around them, and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Serving

To be consumed cold with an Oriental salad. (instructions below)

Recipe Notes

ORIENTAL SALAD:

• 5 medium tomatoes dicedLentil Kibbeh Oriental Salad
• 5 small-medium cucumbers, diced
• 1 Green Pepper, Diced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 bunch Fresh mint, chopped
• Dressing: Salt, Lemon juice, and Olive Oil

Chicken Shawarma Kibbeh Recipe

A chicken version (with a twist) from the beef kibbeh we all know. We added our Knorr Shawarma Marinade to make the flavour well balanced. Chef’s tip: 10% of minced lamb fat can be added for an extra moist chicken stuffing mix. View recipe below!

Ingredients

For the Dough

Bourghul, fine 350 g
Chicken Breast Mince 500 g
Onions, chopped 350 g
Mint leaves chopped 20 g
Salt 10 g
Ground black pepper 5 g
Cumin powder 5 g
Cinnamon powder 5 g

For the Filling

Knorr Corn Oil (4x5L) 520 ml
Chicken Breast Mince 500 g
Knorr Chicken Shawarma Marinade (6x750g) 20 g
Pine seeds 30 g
Knorr Mise en Place Pesto (2x340g) 5 g
Pomegranate Sauce 10 ml

Preparation

For the Dough

Wash bourghul and drain then cover and set it aside for 1 hour.

Combine in a mixing bowl the prepared bourghul, minced chicken breast meat, onion, mint, salt and spices. Mince the ingredients 3 times using the meat electric mincer (add some cold water to have soft dough if needed). Cover and set in the fridge.
For the Filling
Heat Knorr Corn Oil in a pan, add onion and cook until tender. Add the minced chicken meat and stir until cooked and brown in colour. Add the Knorr Chicken Shawarma Base, pine seeds, Knorr Mise an Place Pesto and pomegranate molasses and stir to combine well.

With wet hands, take medium sized pieces of the kibbeh dough mixture, form each portion into an oval shape, making a space in the centre by pushing your finger through from one end.

Stuff with some cooked chicken mixture, close by pressing firmly. Fry the kibbeh in hot deep oil until golden brown.

Garnish
With fresh tomato and lemon wedges, fresh parsley

Serve
Serve hot as an appetizers with green salad and fresh yogurt.

Source: Unilever Food Solutions