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kibbeh

falam14414 avatar
Recipe by
Fred Alam
@falam14414
Rochester, NY

This comes from my Father's side of the family (Lebanese). My Mom would make it for us, but she learned it from my Grandmother on Dad,s side. I choose to grind my own meat but you can have it ground for you. Just make sure you get the meat for the kibbeh ground 2 or 3 times so it is very fine and get the meat for the filling ground course. You can also use ground beef round in place of the lamb.

yield 4 serving(s)
prep time 3 Hr
cook time 10 Min
method Pan Fry

Ingredients For kibbeh

  • FOR THE KIBBEH
  • 2 lb
    fine ground leg of lamb (well trimed)
  • 1 c
    dry bulgar (meadium)
  • 1 c
    fine chopped onion
  • 1 tsp
    dried basil
  • 1 Tbsp
    allspice
  • 1 tsp
    ground cumin
  • 1 tsp
    ground coriander
  • 1 tsp
    nutmeg
  • 1 tsp
    black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp
    ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp
    cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp
    cinnamon
  • 1 tsp
    dried sage
  • 1 tsp
    salt
  • FOR THE FILLING
  • 1 lb
    course ground leg of lamb
  • 1 c
    chopped onion
  • 1/2 c
    pine nuts
  • 1/4 tsp
    cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp
    nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp
    coriander
  • 1/4 tsp
    allspice, ground
  • 1 tsp
    lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp
    salt
  • 2 Tbsp
    olive oil

How To Make kibbeh

  • 1
    FOR THE KIBBEH: Put bulgar in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let it soak for 1 to 2 hours. Drain any excess water off.
  • 2
    In a large bowl combine the fine ground lamb and soaked bulgar. make sure it is combined well. You can do this in a food processor if you want.
  • 3
    Mix the basil and chopped onion together. Add to the meat and bulgar mixture. Add the rest of the spices and salt and mix well. Kneed it for 3 or 4 minutes until it looks like a dough.
  • 4
    FOR THE FILLING: In a pan over medium heat put olive oil. Add course ground lamb and cook until no longer pink. Then add onion, salt, pine nuts, lemon juice, and other seasonings. Continue to cook until lightly browned and well combined. Set aside and let cool.
  • 5
    Now you can shape kibbeh mixture into balls about 2 inches across.
  • 6
    Shape each one into an oval and hollow out one end. Put a spoon of filling mix in the hollow end and close it up. Carefully shape into a flattened oval and set aside. Repeat for each ball of kibbeh.
  • 7
    In a large pan pour vegetable oil about 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep. Heat to 350 deg. Place filled kibbeh into hot oil and fry for about 5 min. then carefully turn them over and fry for another 5 min. Don't over crowd the pan as this will drop the oil temp. too much.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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