Kubbeh in Tomatoes

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Kubbeh

1. 1
   Mix the ground meat with the onion, cumin, salt and black pepper until evenly combined.
2. 2
   Mix the semolina, flour and salt in a bowl. Gradually add the water and Knead into a smooth, soft dough. Let rest 20 minutes.

   ⚙ KneadingBowlStand mixer

   💡Resting lets the semolina absorb the water, so the dough becomes pliable and doesn't crack when you shape it.
3. 3
   With wet hands, take a ball of dough the size of a walnut, flatten it into a thin round, place a tablespoon of filling in it and close into a ball.

   💡Wet hands don't stick to semolina dough, so you can shape a thin, even wall around the filling.
4. 4
   Arrange the kubbeh on a tray in a single layer until the soup boils.

To assemble

1. 5
   Heat the oil in a large pot and fry the onion in it.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveLarge pot
2. 6
   Add the garlic, cumin and paprika and fry 1 minute, until fragrant.

   ⚙ 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. 7
   Add the tomatoes and cook 10 minutes, stirring.

   Stove
4. 8
   Add the water and bring to a boil.

   Stove
5. 9
   Stir in the salt. Taste: the soup should be seasoned. Adjust to taste.

   💡Balance at the end, once the flavors have come together: add sour, sweet and salty a little at a time, tasting between additions.
6. 10
   Add the kubbeh to the boiling soup. Turn down the heat and simmer 20–25 minutes, until the kubbeh float and are cooked through.

   ⚙ SimmeringStove

   💡Add the kubbeh only to soup that is already boiling, and don't stir with a spoon at first: in lukewarm liquid the dough softens and falls apart.

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
7. 11
   Serve hot in bowls with bread.