Kibbeh- Recipe of the Month.

KIBBEH a dish that was first tasted in an Arabic Restaurant with lot of curiosity, a bit hesitantly as  I was not sure of the variety of meat that it was made of. Reassurance from the waiter that it was indeed lamb meat made me give it a try.

Early start of this year brought home the sad news about my dad’s demise. It was a dreaded news that I  would always worry about every time I left my motherland. Dad’s absence leaves a vacuum within, as apart from being my dad he was a great friend too. It was always a cherished moment to discuss about anything with him, to share my dreams and aspirations. The sad part is that I cannot share my blogging experience with him and I miss his thoughts on each and every post that I have written so far.  As he was fond of lamb mince, I have been posting and sharing my lamb mince recipes every month with you all, as making these dishes in my kitchen are my moments with him, his memories, cherishing all the good times that we spent together. To continue with this journey I bring here my Recipe of the Month, a middle eastern dish-KIBBEH.

To share a bit about my cooking experience of this dish. I made this dish for my hubby’s birthday this year, a new first time trying out of the recipe.  I searched the internet for information on how it is prepared, and gave it my own personal touch. As no chilli was added the first time, my first mental note was to add the chilli to the list of ingredients the next time I made it. This time when I was making it for the recipe of the month post, I have added the spice and chilli that I use at home and gave the dish my own personal touch. The final dish was devoured as soon as I kept it on the plate. It is a fantastic recipe, try and give yourself the gratifying moment!!

KIBBEH-MY RECIPE OF THE MONTH:

KIBBEH- This is a dish found in Middle Eastern countries. The main ingredients are Bulgur wheat (cracked wheat), lamb mince, onions. This is a deep fried dish, that has a soft filling of meat along with pine nuts. The onion in the dish imparts a sweetish taste, lamb the meaty taste, and the pine nuts  impart the nutty taste, all together making it a very different and unique tasting experience.  I have added chilli flakes and garam masala to make it a more spicy hot taste, more perfect for our taste.

INGREDIENTS: 

Bulgur wheat-3/4 bowl (75g),

Onion-2 Medium-sized,

Lamb mince-300 g,

Pine nuts-50 g,

Cumin -1 Tsp,

Chilli flakes- 1 Tbsp,

Garam masala- 1 Tsp,

Pepper powder- 1/2 Tsp,

Salt- to taste,

Cooking oil- For frying.

METHOD:

1. Soak the Bulgur wheat in water for 20-30 min.2. Drain the water from the soaked wheat and press it hard to remove all the excess water. Water should be completely removed from the soaked wheat.

3. Roughly chop the onions. Grind the soaked wheat, chopped onion, cumin, half of the chilli flakes, and 150 g of the lamb mince in a mixer pot. It should form a dough-like mixture. If need be one can add ice cubes when grinding the mixture.

4. Heat a fry pan on the gas stove. Add 1-2 tsp cooking oil and then add cumin. After that 1/2 finely chopped onion and sauté. Then add the chilli flakes, garam masala (ground spice powder), salt and the lamb mince. Mix all the ingredients  and cook till the meat is done. (All water should be dried out)

5. Dry roast the pine nuts lightly in a frying pan. When the meat is almost cooked, add the roasted pine nuts to it, mix well , and use this as the filling.

6. Brush the palm with water and take a spoonful of the dough-like mixture, form a ball. Using a finger make a pocket in the dough ball for adding the  pine nut and minced meat filling.7. Close the pocket after adding the filling and pressing with both hands give it a shape as show in the picture.8. Make all the Kibbeh and keep in a plate to fry.

 9. Heat oil in a Karahi and dip the Kibbeh into the oil, taking care not to spill the oil on the hands. Deep fry them to get a nice golden brown colour and a  crispy look. 10. Serve hot with any sauce of choice.

It is always a pleasure to serve food that my family loves to eat.  Wishing you all happy trying out this recipe of mine and I would love to hear your thoughts and your cooking experience of this recipe.

Tip: One could make and keep the Kibbeh in an air tight box and freeze to fry later as required. This way they will be handy and readily available to be taken out from freezer and fried as required.

Enjoy!!!!