Oven-Baked Bulgur Kubbeh

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Pastry Filling

1. 1
   Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
2. 2
   Add the onion and fry 5–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡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.
3. 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, until a brown crust forms.

   Stove

   💡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.
4. 4
   Break it up with a wooden spoon and fry for 5–7 more minutes, stirring, until no pink is left and the meat browns.

   StoveWooden spoon
5. 5
   Add the cumin, paprika, cinnamon, salt and black pepper and fry another 1–2 minutes, until fragrant.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
6. 6
   Add the pine nuts and mix well.

   💡Pine nuts and other nuts get a deeper flavor when you first toast them 2–3 minutes in a dry pan, until lightly golden.
7. 7
   Remove from the heat and cool the filling completely, about half an hour.

   💡Fill dough only with completely cooled filling: a hot filling softens the dough, makes it hard to seal and makes the pastry soggy inside.

To assemble

1. 8
   Soak the bulgur 20 minutes in the boiling water with the salt and cumin, covered, until the water is absorbed.

   ⚙ SoakingBowl

   💡Bulgur soaked covered in boiling water softens without getting too wet: no need to squeeze it, and after good kneading it holds together as a dough.
2. 9
   Knead the bulgur with the flour and paprika well by hand, into an even dough that holds together.

   ⚙ KneadingBowlStand mixer
3. 10
   Spread a layer of the bulgur dough over the bottom of a pan greased.

   Baking pan
4. 11
   Spread the filling on top and cover with another layer of the bulgur dough.
5. 12
   Score a crosshatch into the top layer and drizzle the oil over it.

   Knife
6. 13
   Put the kubbeh in a hot oven, 190°C (375°F), for 35–40 minutes, until the kubbeh turns golden.

   OvenBaking pan