Kibbeh Mosul
The Mosul-style kibbeh: large flat disks rather than the small torpedoes of Levantine kibbeh, with a bulgur shell rolled thin and a spiced lamb-and-pine-nut filling inside. Baked on a tray, drizzled with samna, sliced into wedges. Less fiddly than torpedo kibbeh, just as deeply flavoured.
Overview
Fine bulgur soaks for 30 minutes. Lamb mince blends with bulgur, grated onion, allspice, salt to a smooth paste. Filling: lamb mince cooked with onion, garlic, allspice, pine nuts and pomegranate molasses, cooled. Half the shell paste spreads in a wide oiled baking tin; filling spreads over; remaining shell paste tops it. Scored into diamonds; drizzled with samna; baked for 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Shell
- 300 g fine bulgur (#1 grade)
- 400 g lamb mince (lean)
- 1 onion (medium, grated, juices reserved)
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2-4 tablespoons ice water (as needed)
Filling
- 250 g lamb mince
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion (medium, finely chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Baharat
- 40 g pine nuts (toasted)
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
To finish
- 4 tablespoons samna (or melted butter, for drizzling)
Method
Stage 1 - Bulgur
- Rinse fine bulgur; cover with cold water; soak 30 minutes; drain; squeeze dry.
Stage 2 - Filling
- Heat oil; brown 250 g lamb mince hard.
- Add onion; cook 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and baharat; cook 30 seconds.
- Splash 60 ml water; simmer 4 minutes until dry.
- Off heat, stir in pine nuts, pomegranate molasses, salt, pepper, parsley.
- Cool completely.
Stage 3 - Shell paste
- In a food processor, blitz soaked bulgur, 400 g lamb mince, grated onion (with juices), allspice, pepper and salt to a smooth paste. Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed.
- Knead briefly by hand into a smooth pliable paste.
Stage 4 - Layer
- Heat oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
- Oil a 25 x 25 cm baking tin.
- Press half the shell paste in a 1 cm even layer across the base.
- Spread the cooled filling evenly over.
- Roll the remaining shell paste between 2 cling-film sheets to a 25 cm square; lay on top.
- Wet your fingers; press the edges firmly to seal.
Stage 5 - Score and bake
- With a sharp knife, score into diamonds (4 cuts horizontally, 4 cuts diagonally - wedge pieces 5 cm wide).
- Press a pine nut into the centre of each diamond (optional).
- Drizzle samna over the surface.
- Bake 30 minutes until deep gold.
Stage 6 - Rest
- Rest 10 minutes; cut along the score lines into diamond pieces.
Stage 7 - Serve
- Eat warm with yogurt and a salata baladi or fattoush.
Notes
- Fine bulgur grade #1: Coarse bulgur won't make a smooth shell. Look for the very fine grade at Middle Eastern shops.
- Ice water for paste: Keeps the meat cold and gives a smooth elastic shell. Don't use warm water.
- Score before baking: Cuts through the top layer only - easier to portion later without crushing.
Storage
- Refrigerate 3 days; reheat at 180°C 10 minutes.
- Freeze (baked) 2 months; reheat from frozen at 180°C 30 minutes.
Recipes mentioned here
Kibbeh
Fine bulgur soaks until soft. The shell mixture combines bulgur, raw minced lamb, finely-grated onion, salt and spices, then blitzes (or pounds) into a dense, smooth, almost claylike paste. The filling is a separate cooked mince of lamb, onion, pine nuts, allspice and cinnamon. Each kibbeh shell is shaped over a finger; filling stuffs in; the lot pinches closed into a pointed oval. Deep-fries for 5 minutes.
Kibbeh
Two preparations: the bulgur-and-mince shell paste and the spiced cooked filling. The shell is shaped around a portion of filling into a football shape, then deep-fried until the outside is golden and the inside is hot and savoury. Served warm with yogurt or tahini.
Fattoush
Pita breads are torn into pieces and toasted (or fried) until crisp and crunchy. Chopped vegetables, mint, parsley and a sumac-lemon-olive-oil dressing are tossed together; the toasted pita goes in last so it stays crunchy. Eaten immediately before the bread goes soft.
Fattoush
A torn pita is brushed with olive oil and grilled or fried until golden and crisp. Cucumber, tomato, radish, romaine, spring onion, parsley and mint are roughly chopped into a wide bowl. A dressing of lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, sumac, garlic, olive oil and salt is whisked. The salad is tossed with the dressing just before serving; the pita is scattered on top so it stays crisp.
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