Crispy Beef Kibbeh
Golden-fried bulgur and beef shells with a spiced meat filling, a signature Middle Eastern appetizer. Serve warm with yogurt and fresh herbs.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 485
- Protein
- 18g
Ingredients
- 1 cup bulgur wheat, fine
- ½ lb ground beef
- ½ medium onion, finely minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ ground beef
- ¼ medium onion, finely minced
- ¼ cup pine nuts, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 cups vegetable oil, for deep frying
Instructions
- 1
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers and slides when tilted, about 1 minute.
- 2
Add 0.25 lb ground beef and cook, stirring and breaking it apart with a spoon every 15 seconds, until no pink remains, about 3 minutes total.
- 3
Add 0.25 cup finely minced onion and stir constantly for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 4
Sprinkle in 0.5 teaspoon allspice and 0.25 teaspoon cinnamon, stir for 20 seconds until the spices smell strongly fragrant.
- 5
Add 0.25 cup roughly chopped pine nuts and stir for 30 seconds, then transfer to a small bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes.
- 6
Pour 1 cup fine bulgur wheat into a medium bowl and cover with 1.5 cups cold water; let soak for 15 minutes until the bulgur is tender and water is absorbed.
- 7
Add 0.5 lb ground beef, 0.5 minced onion, 0.5 teaspoon salt, and 0.25 teaspoon black pepper to the bulgur and mix with your hands until the mixture comes together as a sticky paste, about 1 minute.
- 8
Wet your hands with cold water, then pinch off a piece of bulgur mixture about the size of a small egg and roll it into an oval shape in your palm.
- 9
Poke your thumb into one end of the oval to create a pocket, then gently widen the hole by rotating the kibbeh on your thumb until it is thin-walled like a small shell.
- 10
Spoon 0.5 teaspoon of cooled filling into the hollow, then pinch the opening closed and gently reshape the kibbeh into a smooth football shape, about 2 inches long.
- 11
Place the shaped kibbeh on a plate and repeat with remaining mixture until you have 12–16 kibbeh, wetting your hands between each one.
- 12
Pour 3 cups vegetable oil into a heavy pot and heat over medium-high heat until a thermometer reads 325°F, about 8 minutes (or test by dropping a tiny piece of dough—it should sizzle immediately and float).
- 13
Carefully slide 4–5 kibbeh into the hot oil and fry, turning them gently with a slotted spoon once halfway through, until deep golden brown all over, 4–5 minutes total.
- 14
Remove the cooked kibbeh with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
- 15
Repeat frying with the remaining kibbeh in batches, allowing the oil to return to 325°F between batches, about 2 minutes.
- 16
Serve the kibbeh warm, plain or with plain yogurt and fresh parsley on the side.
Tools you’ll need
- medium skillet
- medium mixing bowl
- small bowl
- heavy pot (3–4 quarts)
- instant-read thermometer
- slotted spoon
- paper towels
- dinner plate
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