Levantine cuisine · Soups & Stews

Shorbat Kibbeh

Clear broth with small kibbeh balls of bulgur and ground lamb, plus chickpeas and mint.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 200 g fine bulgur
• 300 g ground lamb
• 2 onions
• 1 tsp baharat
• 250 g chickpeas (from a jar)
• 1.5 l meat broth
• 1 tbsp dried mint
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Put the bulgur in a bowl, barely cover with cold water and let it swell for 20 min., then squeeze out well; finely grate one onion and finely dice the second.
2. Knead the squeezed bulgur with two thirds of the ground lamb, the grated onion, the baharat, salt and pepper for 5 min. into a smooth, sticky mass.
3. Fry the remaining meat with the diced onion in 1 tbsp olive oil for 5 min. until crumbly and let it cool – this becomes the filling.
4. With wet hands, form walnut-sized balls from the bulgur mixture, press in a hollow, add some filling and seal smoothly into balls again.
5. Bring the broth to a boil, slide in the balls one by one and let them simmer over low heat for 15–18 min. until they rise to the surface and are firm; add the chickpeas in the last 5 min.
6. Fry the garlic with the crumbled mint in the remaining olive oil for 1 min., stir into the soup, season with lemon juice and serve hot.