How to make Kibbeh – Spiced Meat Balls

The Kibbeh is one of the most delicious foods in Lebanon. Most people eat this dish for dinner. However, you can also eat it for lunch. The Kibbeh dough contains bulgur and finely ground meat.

The recipe requires you to shape the dough into oval balls and stuff it with chopped onions and ground meat. Making Kibbeh is not easy because it requires careful preparation. Here is the list of ingredients and the step-by-step instructions to make spiced meatballs. Read on!

Ingredients

• To make Kibbeh Mixture, you will need
  • 5 cups of refined bulgur wheat
  • ½ cup of water
  • ½ cup of mint or basil
  • One quartered onion
  • ¼ cup of spices
  • One tablespoon of salt
  • One pound of lean ground beef
  • Two teaspoons of seven spices
• For Hashweh filling, you will need
  • Two tablespoons of olive oil
  • One pound of lean ground beef
  • One teaspoon of salt
  • One tablespoon of seven spices
  • ¼ cup of pine nuts
  • One diced onion

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil and add the onions and beef
2. Cook the beef until it gets browned for 10-15 minutes
3. Season the beef with salt and seven spices
4. Fold the beef in the pine nuts
5. Add bulgur wheat to a large bowl and put some water in it
6. Set aside for 10-15 minutes to ensure the wheat has absorbed the water
7. Add bulgur to the food processor with basil, onion, spices, and salt
8. Blend thoroughly to combine all the ingredients
9. Add lean ground beef to the processor and blend until well combined
10. Put the lean beef with the remaining seven spices and salt in the processor
11. Blend again to make the meat paste, and then divide the mixture in half
12. Scoop three tablespoons of the Kibbeh
13. Add two tablespoons of the kibbeh mixture into the shell and then close it to shape into a ball using your hands
14. Place the meatball on the tray and repeat the process
15. Deep fry the meatballs in the oil
16. Deep fry in batches of 8-10 meatballs
17. Ensure the balls get crispy and brown
18. Remove the meatballs from the oil using a slotted spoon
19. Place the meatball on a place with a paper towel
20. Serve the mouthwatering Kibbeh balls with yogurt and cucumber sauce