Kibbeh
also called kibbeh · kibbe · kibbie · kibbi · kubba · kubbeh · quibe · kibbeh makliyeh · fried kibbeh · kibbeh balls · torpedoes
- Shawarma Counter
- serves 6
- about 2 hr 30 min
- Fried & Crispy
Three ways to read this recipe
The table
| 1 1/2 cups(250 g; #1 grade, the dust-fine one)fine bulgur | soak the fine bulgur 30 min, squeeze dry | grind the shell to a paste | shape torpedoes, chill 30 min | fry at 350°F 5 min |
| 1 lb(450 g; leg, trimmed of all fat)lean ground lamb | ||||
| 1 small(quartered)yellow onion | ||||
| 1 tspground allspice | ||||
| 1 tspdried mint | ||||
| 1 1/2 tspkosher salt | ||||
| 1/2 lb(225 g)ground lamb | fry the filling, 8 min, then cool | |||
| 1 medium(diced fine)yellow onion | ||||
| 1/3 cup(45 g)pine nuts | ||||
| 1 tspground allspice | ||||
| 1/2 tspground cinnamon | ||||
| 1 tspkosher salt | ||||
| 1/2 tspblack pepper | ||||
| 2 Tbs(30 mL)olive oil | ||||
| 6 cups(1.4 L; at 350°F/175°C)neutral oil | ||||
What to lay out
Everything the recipe asks for, sitting under the step that eats it. Tick each one as you measure it.17 things to get out.
Pans and tools
1soak the fine bulgur 30 min, squeeze dry
2fry the filling, 8 min, then cool
3grind the shell to a paste
goes in with what step 1 made
5fry at 350°F 5 min
goes in with what step 4 made
Cooking it
Start to finish is the longest chain through the table, so branches that overlap are counted once. That is why the waits add up to more than the clock — and it only holds if you get them going together.
Tap a step when it is done; the next one lights up.
The clock
- Start to finish
- at least 1 hr 5 mintwo waits that overlap count once
- Needs you
- 13 minof the steps that give a time
One of the 5 steps never says how long it takes, so both numbers are floors. The recipe itself says 2 hr 30 min.
soak the fine bulgur 30 min, squeeze dry
30 minwalk awayfrom the start
fry the filling, 8 min, then cool
28 minneeds youfrom the start
grind the shell to a paste
not timed30 min in
shape torpedoes, chill 30 min
30 minwalk away30 min in
fry at 350°F 5 min
5 minneeds you1 hr in
- needs you
- you can walk away
- never timed
Drawn to scale, so a long wait really does take up the room it takes. The shortest stretches keep a sliver so they stay visible; their times are printed beside them. Bars that line up are happening at the same time.
You'll need food processor · skillet
Goes with
See how it is written
>> title: Kibbeh
>> category: Fried & Crispy
>> tags: lamb, bulgur, lebanese, deep-fry, pine nuts, stuffed
>> counters: Shawarma Counter
>> aka: kibbeh, kibbe, kibbie, kibbi, kubba, kubbeh, quibe, kibbeh makliyeh, fried kibbeh, kibbeh balls, torpedoes
>> pairs-with: labneh, tahini-sauce, kabis
>> servings: 6
>> time: 2 hr 30 min
>> step.1: soak the fine bulgur 30 min, squeeze dry
>> step.2: fry the filling, 8 min, then cool
>> step.3: grind the shell to a paste
>> step.4: shape torpedoes, chill 30 min
>> step.5: fry at 350°F 5 min
Cover @fine bulgur{1 1/2%cups}(250 g; #1 grade, the dust-fine one) in cold water and ~soak{30%min}, then wring it out in a cloth until it stops dripping. Fine bulgur and nothing coarser: the coarse grade never softens enough to become a paste and the shell cracks open in the oil every time.
Fry @ground lamb{1/2%lb}(225 g), @yellow onion{1%medium}(diced fine), @pine nuts{1/3%cup}(45 g), @ground allspice{1%tsp}, @ground cinnamon{1/2%tsp}, @kosher salt{1%tsp} and @black pepper{1/2%tsp} in @olive oil{2%Tbs}(30 mL) in a #skillet{} ~fry{8%min}, until the meat browns and the nuts colour, then ~cool{20%min} completely. Warm filling melts the shell from the inside while you are still shaping.
Grind @&(~2)squeezed bulgur{} with @lean ground lamb{1%lb}(450 g; leg, trimmed of all fat), @yellow onion{1%small}(quartered), @ground allspice{1%tsp}, @dried mint{1%tsp} and @kosher salt{1 1/2%tsp} in a #food processor{} in batches until it is a smooth, tacky, uniform paste, adding a tablespoon of ice water if it stiffens. This paste is the dough — there is no separate dough for kibbeh, and the bulgur is ground *with* the meat rather than mixed into it, which is why one word covers a spread, a tray bake and a fried torpedo.
Shape @&(~1)kibbeh paste{} into egg-sized ovals, hollow each one out around a wet finger into a thin shell, spoon in @&(~2)cooled filling{}, and seal it into a torpedo with a point at each end, then ~chill{30%min}. Keep a bowl of ice water beside you and wet your hands constantly; the shell should be thin enough to see your finger through.
Fry @&(~1)shaped kibbeh{} in @neutral oil{6%cups}(1.4 L; at 350°F/175°C) four at a time ~fry{5%min}, until they are mahogany and float. Any thicker than a coin at the walls and the shell is still raw bulgur when the outside is done.