Ingredients:
1 kg minced beef
250 gms bulghur cracked wheat ( look for #1, which is the finest "crack"! there's also a #2 and a #3 - best for making tabbouleh)*
1 1/2 tsps salt
1 1/2 tsps black pepper
1 tsp allspice**
1/2 tsp cumin**
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon**
1/4 tsp ground cloves**
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 cup pine nuts, or sunflower kernels
2-3 tbsps olive oil.
(* The google gods say you can use quinoa if you're allergic to wheat. I've never tried it)
(** if you haven't got these, use a Middle Eastern spice mix - baharat)
Method:
1 kg minced beef
250 gms bulghur cracked wheat ( look for #1, which is the finest "crack"! there's also a #2 and a #3 - best for making tabbouleh)*
1 1/2 tsps salt
1 1/2 tsps black pepper
1 tsp allspice**
1/2 tsp cumin**
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon**
1/4 tsp ground cloves**
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 cup pine nuts, or sunflower kernels
2-3 tbsps olive oil.
(* The google gods say you can use quinoa if you're allergic to wheat. I've never tried it)
(** if you haven't got these, use a Middle Eastern spice mix - baharat)
Method:
- Put the cracked wheat in a bowl and cover with water. Leave for 30 minutes to soak. Then strain and squeeze the wheat to remove excess water.
- Put the wheat in a large bowl with 2/3rds of the meat, the coarsely chopped onion, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Blend to a fine paste and set aside.
- Fry the finely diced onion in the olive oil for 2-3 minutes, then add the pine nuts, the other 1/3 minced beef and the rest of the spices, salt and pepper.
- Once the beef is browned, remove from the heat and cool.
- Take an egg-sized piece of the beef/bulghur mixture, make a ball then poke a hole in the end or open it up to make a cup. Stuff with 2-3 tsps of the beef/pine nut mixture, then close up the kibbe and form it into an oval ball. Do all the kibbe like that.
- Deep fry the kibbe in hot oil for about 8-10 minutes, moving them from time to time, until deeply browned all over.
- If you only want a couple, you can safely freeze the uncooked kibbe and use at a later date.
