Middle Eastern Kibbeh

25 Reviews

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 12 min
Ready In: 32 min

“Kibbeh is a wonderful dish from the Middle East traditionally made with lamb meat but beef is acceptable, too. I prefer it made into patties and fried in olive oil. However, it is most often found in restaurants in baked form. Serve kibbeh with tahini, a sesame seed paste.” - by Ron Shepherd

Directions

Place bulgur in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with water just to the top of the bulgur. Place in the microwave and cook on High 1 to 2 minutes until bulgur is swollen and the water is absorbed. Toss briefly and allow to stand until cool.
Place the mint leaves in the bowl of a food processor. Process, gradually adding onion through the feed tube, until both mint and onion are finely chopped. Stir the mint-onion mixture into the bulgur, with the cumin, allspice, salt, and pepper. Stir the bulgur mixture into the ground lamb and mix thoroughly. Using damp hands, shape the lamb mixture into small, palm-sized patties.
Place the olive oil in a skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the kibbeh patties and cook until outside is golden brown and center is cooked through, turning once, about 6 minutes on each side.

Reviews (25)

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SONIAEDGAR

Mar. 16, 2009

"I was surprised to find a recipe for kibbeh here... it's very similar to my recipe which is also very popular in Brazil. I finally found bulgur CAN be found here and the first thing I made was kibbeh...." See more My recipe takes toasted pine nuts (about 1/2 cup) mixed in and you can place the whole mixture in a 9x13 baking pan (foil or glass) and bake it at 350F for 30/35 minutes. It's very popular to serve this way as well. I use to make a little vinaigrette to serve on the side: diced tomatoes, cucumbers, chopped parsley, some hot pepper drops and chopped parsley. My husband fell in love with it and the next time we'll make patties and grill the kibbeh. Thanks for posting, I'm sure everybody will enjoy this dish very much."

zamfam

Jun. 2, 2009

"Hubby gives this recipe a definite 5 stars! I finally realized why I can't get my Lebanese husband to care for any meatloaf recipes - after eating kibbeh, no meatloaf can compare! Only addition I wo..." See moreuld make is 1/2 c. or so of pine nuts (sold in small bags in the baking aisle with other nuts). Just isn't authentic kibbeh without the pine nuts. (You can also use 1/2 ground turkey and/or 1/2 lean ground beef for your meat if desired; the spices make this recipe!) Yummy!"

DeusaCozinheira

Jul. 20, 2008

"This was AWESOME!! I had been wanting to make kibbeh for a long time. When I was studying in Mexico, I found that there were quite a few middle eastern restaurants, and this dish was very popular. ..." See moreIn the US, it seems not many people have heard of it. I liked the fact that the mint and onion was mixed right up into the meat/bulgur mix, as I've only had it on the side before. I made raita to eat with this b/c I thought the flavors would go well together and it was DELISH!! Thanks for the recipe!"

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