Levantine cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Kibbeh Mekliyeh

Torpedo-shaped bulgur croquettes with a ground meat, onion and pine nut filling, deep-fried to a dark brown crust.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 200 g fine bulgur
• 400 g very lean lamb (leg, day-fresh)
• 250 g ground lamb
• 3 onions
• 50 g pine nuts
• 1 tsp baharat
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 l oil for frying
• 1 lemon
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Soak the bulgur in cold water for 15 min. and squeeze it out very thoroughly in a sieve; meanwhile finely dice 2 onions and cut the lean lamb into cubes and chill.
2. Sauté the diced onions in a little oil for 8 min. until soft, add the ground lamb and fry for 6 min. until crumbly, season with baharat, cinnamon, salt and pepper, stir in the toasted pine nuts and let the filling cool completely.
3. Process the cold meat with the third onion in a blender to a smooth paste and knead with the bulgur, flour, salt, pepper and 3–4 tbsp ice water into a supple, non-sticky dough.
4. Shape the dough into 16 balls, hollow each into a thin-walled shell with a wet index finger, place 1 tsp filling inside and seal the opening into a pointed, olive-shaped torpedo – smooth any cracks at once with wet fingers.
5. Heat the oil to 175 °C and fry the kibbeh in two batches for 5–6 min. each until deep golden brown and floating on the surface.
6. Drain on paper towels, season lightly with salt and serve hot with lemon wedges as a mezze.