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+ servings

Kibbeh

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 16
Author: Marta Rivera
A handheld meatball accompanied perfectly with a tangy yogurt dip.
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Kibbeh

  • 2/3 cup bulgur
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 2 lbs ground lamb divided
  • 1 cup mint chopped, divided
  • 1 medium yellow onion about 1 cup, minced, divided
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp Middle Eastern Spice Blend divided
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup crushed ice
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts

Tangy Yogurt Dip

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 clove garlic crushed into a paste
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp mint leaves chopped
  • salt to taste
  • canola oil for frying

Instructions

  • Rehydrate the bulgur in a medium size mixing bowl by pouring the boiling water over the bulgur and allowing it to soak for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the kibbeh paste.
  • In a food processor, fitted with your metal blade attachment, pulse together 1 1/2 lbs of the ground lamb, 3/4 cup of mint, 3/4 cup of the minced onion, the garlic, 1 tbsp of the MESB, 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 cup of crushed ice, until very smooth. You want the kibbeh paste to have the consistency of mashed potatoes.
  • Remove the blade and place the processor bowl into the fridge to keep cool while you make the filling.
  • In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over med-high.
  • Add the remaining lamb, the onions, and sprinkle the remaining MESB and the salt over the meat to season. Sauté until the lamb is cooked through.
  • Drain the meat in a colander set into of your sink.
  • Place the meat back into the pan and add the remaining mint and the pine nuts and heat for 5 minutes.
  • Allow to cool while you make the yogurt sauce.
  • In a small mixing bowl, preferably one that is non-metallic, mix together all the ingredients until smooth. Allow to sit in the fridge while you assemble and fry the kibbeh.
  • Grab a container that's deep enough for you to submerge your hands in comfortably. Fill it with cool water. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or wax paper.
  • Remove the pureed kibbeh mix from the fridge and place it and the cooked kibbeh filling next to the dipping bowl and the sheet pan.
  • With wet hands, grab a about a 1/3 cup of raw kibbeh and form it into a football shape.
  • Create a well in the center and place a spoonful (about 1 1/2 tbsp) of the cooked filling into the center. Shape the raw kibbeh around the filling to seal it completely. Try your best to keep that football shape! Set on your lined sheet pan.
  • Continue forming, filling and shaping until you've used up all of the raw kibbeh.
  • Heat 2 cups of canola oil in a frying pan over med-high heat.
  • Fry kibbeh in batches of five, frying 4-5 minutes on each side or until a dark golden brown and cooked through.
  • Remove from the oil and drain over paper towels. Keep warm while you fry the remaining kibbehs.
  • Serve with the tangy yogurt dip.