Ingredients 1

For Shell:

• One cup of fine bulgur
• 2 tbsp of wheat flour
• 1 cup of hot water (or more if needed)
• 5kg of minced beef or lamb. divided into two portions
• 1 medium onion
• 1/4 cup of fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup of green onions (optional)
• 1 tsp of ground cumin
• 1 tsp of ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp of black pepper
• 1/2 tsp of paprika; salt

Filling:

• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 5kg of minced beef or lamb
• 1 small onion
• 1/4 cup of fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup of crashed walnuts (and/or pine nuts)
• 1/2 tsp of cumin
• 1/2 tsp of allspice
• 1/4 tsp of black pepper
• Salt to taste

For yogurt sauce:

• 4 cups of yogurt (preferably thick texture Turkish or Greek-style)
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tbsp of cornstarch (or wheat or chickpea flour)
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 2 tbsp of dried mint
• Salt to taste

Preparation and Cooking

• In a large bowl, soak the fine bulgur to hot water and let it rest for 20-30 min until the bulgur is softened.
• To prepare the filling, heat olive oil in a skillet and add the finely chopped onion to cook until softened. Then add the minced meat as breaking it into small pieces until it is browned and cooked through, about in 5min. Finally, stir in the finely chopped parsley, nuts, cumin, allspice, black pepper and salt and cook for another 5 min until the flavours are well combined. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Once the bulgur is softened, add the meat, finely chopped onion, parsley, green onions (if using), cumin, allspice, black pepper, paprika, and salt, and knead the mixture until it is well combined and forms a smooth, dough-like consistency.
• To shape the kibbeh, take a small amount of the bulgur mixture and form a ball, roughly the size of a walnut. Wet hands occasionally to prevent sticking, and make an indentation in the center using your thumb, and press the sides to create a hollow cavity. Fill the cavity with a spoonful of the filling, then pinch the opening closed and gently shape the kibbeh into an elongated oval or football shape.
• Repeat the above process with the remaining bulgur mixture and filling and set them aside on a plate.
• To prepare the yogurt sauce, in a large pot, whisk together the yogurt, water and cornstarch (or wheat or chickpea flour) until smooth. Cook the yogurt mixture at medium heat and stir constantly to prevent it from curdling for about 10-15 min until it has slightly thickened.
• In a large pot or tray, gently place the shaped kibbeh into the simmering yogurt sauce, making sure they are fully submerged. Then deliver the pot inside the wood fired oven and simmer the kibbeh in the sauce for 20-25min at around 150-170^o
• While it is simmering, heat a small frying pan over medium heat add the minced garlic and dried mint and sauté for about 2 minutes. Serve the kibbeh with the yogurt sauce, along with a side of rice, bulgur pilaf, or pita bread, or with tahini sauce, or a fresh salad.

Hints and Comments

• The Turkish version of dish is deep fried in oil, and is also common in Middle Eastern countries and has numerous regional variations.
• For the wood fired oven, baking and cooking in water or yogurt sauce is more applicable. In the water cooked version, it is called kibbeh labanieh or kibbeh in yogurt sauce which are popular in Lebanese and Syrian cuisine.