Bulgur Kibbeh with Meat Filling

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Pastry Filling

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

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
2. 2
   Add the onion and fry for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft and deep golden.

   ⚙ 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 nutmeg, paprika and salt, stir well and cook another 5 minutes.

   Stove
6. 6
   Add the pine nuts and stir.
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 cold water, drain and squeeze well.

   ⚙ SoakingBowl

   💡Soak in plenty of water, well above what's being soaked: legumes and grains swell and drink water, and whatever sticks out stays hard. Drain well before continuing.
2. 9
   Mix the ground meat with the cumin, cinnamon, salt and black pepper until evenly combined.
3. 10
   Add the bulgur to the meat mixture and Knead, into a smooth dough.

   ⚙ KneadingBowlStand mixer
4. 11
   Take a ball of dough, press a cup into it with your finger, fill with the cold filling and seal well.

   💡Wet your hands with cold water between one kubbeh and the next: the dough doesn't stick, and you can shape a thin, even wall.
5. 12
   Heat the oil' in a deep pot' to 170°C (340°F) and fry the kubbeh 4–5 minutes per side, until golden. Transfer to paper towels.

   ⚙ Deep-fryingStoveSlotted spoonCandy/oil thermometerDeep pot for frying

   💡A thin wall and a tight seal, with no cracks: oil that gets inside breaks the kubbeh apart.

   💡Keep the oil at 170–180°C (340–355°F): too cold, and the food soaks up oil; too hot, and it browns outside before the inside cooks. Without a thermometer, dip the tip of a wooden spoon in the oil: when medium bubbles form around it right away, the oil is hot enough.

   💡Don't overload the oil: every piece that goes in cools it down. Fry one piece as a test, then the rest in several batches, and transfer to paper towels.
6. 13
   Serve with tahini.