A lovely lamb dish from Syria that is simply delicious!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Main Dish
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour
resting time 20 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour40 minutesminutes
Servings 8
Calories 565kcal
Author Darlene at International Cuisine
Ingredients
Ingredients
Kibbeh Nayeh or Raw Kibbeh
1cupfine bulgur#1
8ouncestomato sauceSmall can
10-12ouncesroom temperature water
2poundslean ground lamb
2medium onionsgrated
2teaspoonskosher or sea salt
Kibbeh stuffing
1poundlean ground lamb
1medium onionroughly chopped
1/4cuppine nuts
3/4teaspoonkosher or sea salt
2teaspoonsground allspice
Topping
1/2 - 1tablespoonbutter
Instructions
Kibbeh Nayeh or Naked/Raw Kibbeh
In a large bowl, soak the bulgur in the tomato sauce and water for about 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. If a bit of water remains simply drain it out.
After the bulgur is done soaking, add the lamb, grated onions, and salt to the bowl. Knead the mixture with your hands for several minutes as if it were bread, until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Refrigerate the mixture while you make the stuffing.
Kibbeh Stuffing
In a non-stick pan, sauté the ground lamb on low-medium heat, breaking it up so that it cooks in tiny pieces. After about 8-10 minutes, when the meat is completely browned, add the chopped onion, pine nuts, allspice and salt. Kibbeh stuffing before mixing.
Stir the ingredients together and cook the mixture another 8-10 minutes. Set the mixture aside to cool.
Putting it all together
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Retrieve the Kibbeh Nayeh from the refrigerator and divide it in half. Wet your hands and cover the bottom and sides of a round 9” pan with one half of the raw lamb mixture. Pat it down gently so that it becomes a thin layer that entirely covers the pan.
Once the entire pan is covered with the raw lamb mixture, add the cooked lamb mixture on top. Then add the remaining half of the raw lamb mixture on top of the cooked lamb, encasing it between the raw lamb layers.
When the cooked lamb is completely covered, wash your hands and smooth out the top gently. Then cut a design or diamond shapes all the way through the Kibbeh by making diagonal cuts with a large knife, then cutting diagonals in the other direction to make diamonds. Dot each piece with a dab of butter.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top and sides are well browned. Check occasionally during baking and pour off any fat that comes to the surface and dispose of it. At the end of baking, to make the top crispier, you can broil for 1-2 minutes.
Let the Kibbeh rest for a few minutes. Serve with Greek-style yogurt.