Torpedo-shaped fried bulgur and ground meat shells with a spiced meat filling, a beloved Lebanese meze and street snack.
Kibbeh is considered by many the national dish of Lebanon, and this fried version — kibbeh mekliyeh — shapes a fine bulgur and ground meat mixture into a hollow torpedo shell before filling it with a richer, spiced meat filling. The outer shell is made from a paste of fine bulgur, ground beef or lamb, and onion, blended until smooth and pliable enough to shape and hollow by hand, a skill that takes practice to perfect but is central to Lebanese home cooking traditions. Filled with a mixture of ground meat, onion and pine nuts cooked until deeply savory, the shaped kibbeh are deep-fried until the shell turns dark golden and crisp, served hot as part of a larger meze spread alongside hummus and tabbouleh.
Serves 6
Soak the fine bulgur in cold water for 15 minutes, then squeeze thoroughly dry.
Blend or process the soaked bulgur with the ground meat, onion, salt, cumin and baharat until smooth and cohesive; chill for 20 minutes.
Cook diced onion until soft, add ground meat, browning until cooked through, then stir in pine nuts, cinnamon and salt.
With wet hands, take a portion of the shell mixture, form into an oval, and use a finger to hollow out the center, working the paste thin and even.
Keep your hands wet throughout shaping — this prevents the sticky shell mixture from cracking as you work it thin.
Fill the hollow with a spoonful of the meat filling, then pinch the opening closed and shape into a pointed torpedo.
Fry in batches in hot oil (350F/175C) for 4-5 minutes, turning, until deeply golden and crisp all over.
Drain on paper towels and serve hot as part of a meze spread.
Keep your hands wet while shaping the kibbeh shells — the bulgur-meat paste is sticky and prone to cracking if worked with dry hands.
Chill the shell mixture before shaping; it firms up and becomes much easier to hollow and shape when cold.
Squeeze the soaked bulgur very dry before blending it with the meat, or the shell will be too soft to hold its shape.
Kibbeh can also be baked in a tray as a layered casserole rather than shaped into individual torpedoes.
A raw version, kibbeh nayeh, is eaten uncooked with very fresh, high-quality meat, similar to a Lebanese steak tartare.
A vegetarian pumpkin kibbeh substitutes pumpkin puree for the meat in the shell.
Uncooked, shaped kibbeh freeze well; fry directly from frozen, adding a couple of minutes to the cooking time. Cooked kibbeh keeps 2 days refrigerated and reheats well in an oven.
Kibbeh is widely regarded as Lebanon's national dish, with regional variations found across the Levant, and the technique of shaping a bulgur-meat shell around a spiced filling reflects generations of refined Lebanese home cooking skill passed down through families.
Yes, shape and fill the kibbeh, then freeze on a tray before bagging; fry directly from frozen without thawing.
Make sure the bulgur is squeezed very dry and the mixture is thoroughly chilled before attempting to shape it.
The shell was likely too thick in spots, or not sealed tightly enough — work the paste as thin and even as possible and pinch the seams firmly closed.
Per serving (140g / 4.9 oz) · 6 servings total
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