Kibbeh Recipe (Baked and Fried) (2024)

Variations

According to Wikipedia, there are different variations of this recipe in different regions and countries. One of the most popular types of kibbeh is called kibbeh nayeh also known as raw kibbeh which is made with bulgur, very finely minced raw meat (lamb or beef), mint and spices and it's similar to steak tartar.

Serving suggestions

Kibbeh is often served with a side salad such as Mediterranean salad or fattoush. Here we made a simple yogurt garlic sauce to dip that you can make with homemade yogurt.

Can I make this ahead of time?

Yes. You can make the mixture for the shell and the filling up to a day in advance and make the dish a day later.

Can I use any other meat beside lamb and beef?

Classic Kibbeh is made with either lamb, beef or a combination of both. Using any other meat won't work for this recipe.

Can I leave out the bulgur?

The bulgur brings the shell together and makes it workable so leaving it out won't be possible.

Dough

• ▢ 2 cups fine bulgur
• ▢ 3 ½ cup water hot
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ ½ teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried mint
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cumin
• ▢ 1 large onion
• ▢ 1 lb ground beef
• ▢ Vegetable oil for frying

Filling

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 2 onions finely chopped
• ▢ 1 lb ground beef
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ ½ teaspoon allspice
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ cup pine nuts

Yogurt sauce

• ▢ 1 cup yogurt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 cloves garlic
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried mint

Make the dough

• Place the bulgur in a large bowl and pour the water on it. Cover and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes so the bulgur absorbs the water.

• Add the salt, pepper, paprika, dried mint and cumin to the bulgur and mix well.

• Grate the onion and add it to the bulgur. Add the beef and knead well until fully combined. Refrigerate for one to two hours.

  See Also

  Israeli Couscous and Spicy Herb Frittata Recipe

Make the filling

• Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Saute onion until golden, about 10 minutes.

• Add in ground beef, salt, pepper, allspice and cinnamon. Brown the ground beef until cooked.

• Stir in the pine nuts. Turn the heat off and set the filling aside.

To make Baked Kibbeh

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.

• Divide the dough in half. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with non stick spray.

• Spread half of the dough in the baking dish. Top with the filling. Spread the other half of the dough on top of the filling. Wet your hands with a bit of water so you can spread the dough easily.

• Using a knife, cut the kibbeh to form diamonds as shown in the video.

• Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until completely cooked.

• Let the baked kibbeh cool for 10 minutes. Then slice and serve with yogurt sauce.

To make Fried Kibbeh

• After the dough is chilled in the fridge, take it out and place it on the counter.

• Divide the dough into pieces as big as an egg. Shape them into balls.

• Using wet hands, take one of the dough balls and with your index finger, poke a hole into the ball. Rotate the ball so it shapes an empty cylinder with thin walls (as shown in the video).

• Fill the ball with the filling, and using wet hands, bring the top together to seal it. It will look almost like a football.

• If shaping the kibbeh as mentioned doesn't work for you, you can also flatten a dough ball in your hand, place a tablespoon of filling in the middle and then bring the kibbeh together on all sides using wet hands and shape it into a ball.

• Repeat the steps until you run out of kibbeh dough.

• Place all the prepares kibbeh on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 30 minutes. This will help the kibbeh to stay together when frying.

• Heat enough vegetable oil in a sauce pan to cover the kibbeh when deep frying. The oil should be hot enough that you see small bubbles. But it shouldn't be smoking or two hot otherwise the kibbeh will burn on the outside and raw on the inside.

• Once the oil is hot, take the kibbeh balls out of the freezer and deep fry them in batches, moving them around gently to make sure they're fried on all sides.

• Place them on a plate with paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

• Serve warm or at room temperature with yogurt sauce.

Yogurt sauce

• Mix yogurt with salt, minced garlic and mint.

• Serve with kibbeh.

• Make sure you're usingfine bulgurand not coarse bulgur to make kibbeh. Coarse bulgur won't stick to the ground meat, causing the meatball to fall apart.
• You can shape these balls into football shaped croquettes, balls, or even patties.
• To make preparation easier, make sure that the dough is cold at all times. You can either take small portions of the dough and leave the rest in the fridge or place the dough in a large bowl full of ice and work with it.
• Keep you hands wet while shaping the kibbeh balls to make the process much easier.