Fried Lebanese Kibbeh Recipe
Fried Lebanese Kibbeh is a delicious appetizer or side dish that looks good to the eye and appeals to your taste buds. A crunchy outer shell with a tender flavorful inner filling of aromatic meat will make you crave for more!
Ingredients
For The Outer Shell
- 3¼ cups burghul fine
- 4 cups boiling water
- ¼ cup onion processed
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 pound lean ground meat 93% lean or more
- 8 tablespoons cold water
For The Filling
- 1 pound lean ground beef 80% lean
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1½ teaspoons 7 spice
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- dash black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- fried pine nuts
Instructions
To Make Kibbeh Dough
- Add the burghul to a large bowl, then pour boiling water over them.
- Cover the bowl, and let it sit for half an hour to 45 minutes.
- Once done and while it's still hot/warm, mix burghul well with your hand, kneading the dough between your fingers and clumping it together so the burghul gets finer.
- An optional step is to add the burghul to a food processor and pulse until fine before adding the water.
- Once kneaded, add super finely chopped onion, Aleppo pepper, cumin, paprika, and salt to the kibbeh dough. Then, add the lean beef and mix well.
- Add cold water to get smooth emulsified consistency, then cover and then cover and allow it to cool in the fridge.
To Make the Filling
- Add oil and ghee to pan. Then, add the beef and sauté until the liquid is almost evaporated.
- Add the finely chopped onion, 7 spice, cumin, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, paprika, sumac, and pomegranate molasses to the pan. Cook all the way through.
- Add fried nuts to taste and let it cool before filling the kibbeh.
To Form and Fry Kibbeh Balls
- Grab a ping pong size ball of the bulgur mix and start shaping it by poking it through the middle and almost coring it with your finger to make a deep hole or football shape.
- Stuff it with the ground beef mixture and close the other end. If the mix keeps cracking, keep the bowl of water mixed and cornstarch on hand. Use it sparingly by adding a few drops to your fingers when needing to fix a crack.
- Deep fry kibbeh in hot oil on medium high heat until they become golden brown.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- You can double or triple the ingredients to make a larger batch especially if you have someone to help.
- I added pine nuts to the filling. You can also add slivered almonds or walnuts.
- To store kibbeh balls, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure there is a bit of space between them. Place the tray in the fridge for an hour until they are solid. Then, store them in zip lock bags or an airtight container and put them back into the fridge.
- If you choose to freeze some, no need to remove them ahead of time. Once needed, take them out of the fridge, smoothly separate each, and put them in hot oil.
- Do not overfill the kibbeh with stuffing, it makes it harder for you to close it.
Nutrition
Calories: 64kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 8gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 307mgPotassium: 143mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 0.4gVitamin A: 139IUVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!