Fried Kibbeh
This is Syrian fried kibbeh made with a bulgur-and-potato dough, filled with crispy minced meat, onion, walnuts, and Arabic spices. The bulgur dough is soaked with water and spices, then kneaded with potato and onion until cohesive. It is filled with a cooked, drained filling, shaped, and fried in oil over medium heat until golden and crisp.
A Syrian fried kibbeh dish made from stuffed bulgur shells and pan-fried until crisp.
Like a crispy stuffed croquette.
Shape the kibbeh carefully so they stay sealed while frying.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Bulgur
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cumin
- ¼ tsp White pepper
- ½ tsp Paprika
- 2 cups Water
- 5 potatoes Small potatoes
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- ½ kilo Meat
- 2 large onions Onion
- Bay leaf
- ½ tsp Salt
- a pinch Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
- a pinch Cloves
- a pinch Nutmeg
- 200 g Walnuts
- 2 cups Fine bulgur
- 1 onion Grated and squeezed onion
- instead of or alongside the ghee Oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix 2 cups of bulgur with 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cumin, ¼ tsp white pepper, and ½ tsp paprika.
- In a pot, heat 2 cups of water until boiling, then pour it over the bulgur in the bowl.
- In a bowl or on a work surface, cover the bulgur mixture and leave it until the bulgur grains open and swell.
- In a pot, boil 5 small potatoes with a little salt until cooked through.
- In a bowl, mash the boiled potatoes, then add them to the bulgur mixture.
- In a bowl or in a mixer, add 1 grated and squeezed onion to the bulgur mixture and knead until the dough holds together.
- In the refrigerator, let the kibbeh dough rest and chill before shaping.
- In a frying pan, add 1 tbsp ghee, then add ½ kilo of meat and spread it across the pan without stirring it immediately.
- In the frying pan, stir the meat, then push it to the sides and place the bay leaf in the center so it absorbs the moisture.
- In the frying pan, add the 2 large onions once the meat liquid has reduced and most of it has turned into fat.
- In the frying pan, season the filling with ½ tsp salt, a pinch of cinnamon, ¼ tsp black pepper, a pinch of cloves, and a pinch of nutmeg, then cook over low heat until done.
- In a colander or on a plate, drain the cooked filling and leave it to cool.
- In a bowl, add the walnuts to the cooled filling and mix.
- On a work surface, shape the kibbeh dough into fingers or pieces suitable for the mold.
- On a work surface, place plastic wrap under and over each piece, then press it with the mold until it takes the shape of a kibbeh disc.
- On a tray or on parchment paper, arrange the prepared kibbeh discs.
- In a deep frying pan, heat the oil to a suitable frying temperature, then lower the kibbeh discs in gradually.
- In the frying pan, do not move the kibbeh discs immediately after lowering them in, until they set on one side.
- In the frying pan, turn the kibbeh discs and leave them until they become golden and crisp.
- In the frying pan, remove the kibbeh discs once cooked and serve hot.