How long does it take to make Semolina Kubbeh?

For semolina kubbeh in soup, knead semolina, salt and water into a soft dough and let it rest about half an hour; flatten a ping-pong-ball-sized piece into a thin round, fill with a teaspoon of filling and close into a ball.

1 hr 50 minTotal

28 minActive time

1 hr 22 minSetting

Step by Step

#	What to do	How long
1	Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat	3 min
2	Add the onion and fry 5–8 minutes, stirring now and then	6 min
3	Raise the heat to medium-high and add the meat. Press it flat over the bottom and leave it for 2–3 minutes without stirring	2 min
4	Break it up with a wooden spoon and fry for 5–7 more minutes, stirring	6 min
5	Season with salt and black pepper	1 min
6	Remove from the heat and cool the filling completely, about half an hour	30 min
7	Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F)	12 min
8	Mix the semolina, flour and salt in a bowl. Gradually add the olive oil and water and Knead into a smooth, soft dough. Let rest 20 minutes	20 min
9	With wet hands, take a ball of dough the size of a walnut, make a hollow in the center, place a teaspoon of cooled filling in it and close into an egg shape	1 min
10	Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush the tops lightly with oil	1 min
11	Bake 25–30 minutes	28 min

How to Tell It's Done

until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges
until a brown crust forms
until no pink is left and the meat browns
until the kubbeh is browned and firm

Tips

Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
Brown ground beef in the pot without pressing it: leave it as one 'cake' for a few minutes until a brown crust forms, then break it into chunks. Deep browning = deep flavor.
Fill dough only with completely cooled filling: a hot filling softens the dough, makes it hard to seal and makes the pastry soggy inside.
Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
Resting lets the semolina absorb the water, so the dough becomes pliable and doesn't crack when you shape it.

Common Mistakes

Wet hands don't stick to semolina dough, so you can shape a thin, even wall around the filling.
Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.

More Ways

Semolina kubbeh is usually served in soup, while baked kubbeh is usually a pan with the meat between two layers of dough.
The filling is ground meat fried with onion and spices, cooled before shaping.

The full recipe: Semolina Kubbeh →