A delicious Jordanian snack
Jordan is well-known for its delectable meze plates, stuffed to the brim with savoury dips, salty olives, and often these bite-sized kubbeh. A mixture of meat and spices, these delicious savoury treats are easy enough to make, and just a bit too easy to eat.
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A lamb kubbeh recipe
Starter
Preparation time: 1½-2 hours (mainly resting the dough)
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
500g of finely minced lamb
200g bulgur wheat
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp chilli powder (optional)
1 onion, finely grated
1 onion, chopped
Vegetable oil for frying
Method:
For the shell of the kubbeh:
1. Soak the bulgur wheat in cold water for half an hour, and then drain it. After that, wrap it in a clean tea towel and squeeze out any excess water to make sure it’s properly drained.
2. Put the bulgur, half the mince, the chopped onion and half a teaspoon each of the salt and pepper into a food processor. Blitz until you get a dough-like mixture – you can add a small splash of water if it’s too sticky – then cover and put in the fridge for an hour.
For the filling:
1. Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a pan and soften the grated onion. Add the rest of the mince, all the spices and seasoning and fry until the meat is nicely browned. Using a slotted spoon, set the mixture to one side and cool.
Making-up:
1. Time to make your kubbeh shells! Wet your hands, then pick up a golf ball-sized amount of the shell mix and poke your index finger inside. Widen the hole by turning the kubbeh ball so that you can press its inside walls gently against your palm. Stuff it with two teaspoons of the filling and finally pinch the top to seal into an oval shape.
2. While you repeat with the rest of the mixture, heat a deep fat fryer to 175C (350F) and fry the balls for between six and eight minutes, depending on how big they are. Finally, drain on kitchen paper. They can be eaten hot or cold.
Recipe courtesy of the Jordan Tourism Board.