Middle Eastern Kibbeh & Yogurt Sauce

Posted by: Kwokmun on: May 25, 2012

• In: Appetiser | Food | Middle Eastern | Recipes | Snacks
• 7 Comments

I’ve personally overlooked Middle Eastern cuisine until recently when I realized how amazing they can be. It’s certainly more than just doner kebabs or falafels. I’ve also noticed how similar some of the spices Middle Easterners use compared to say, Indian or Mexican cuisine: cumin, coriander, cloves, paprika and caraway seeds to mention a few. Of course, they have their native spices as well, such as sumac, grains of paradise, and dukkah but I think it’s the way they combine these spices and certain ingredients that makes their cuisine so unique.

The inspiration for this snack is from a yogurt soup that I had a month or two ago that was served with kibbeh, which are fried Middle Eastern meatballs. The idea of making soup with yogurt is brilliant but since I don’t have any stock in my fridge, I am just not going to be bothered. The kibbeh would still be delicious when served with a thick garlic yogurt sauce. I don’t usually like low fat North American yogurt that is mostly water but I’ve came across a Canadian made Greek style yogurt called Krema made by Olympic Dairy and it is so creamy! No wonder it’s thick and rich because Krema has 11% fat. I could also have stuffed the kibbeh with nuts, spiced meat and aromatics but since it’s a lazy Sunday, I wanted to keep it very simple. =)

Kibbeh

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup fine bulgur
• 1/2 cup water
• 200 g ground beef
• 3 tbsp fine chopped shallots
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp harissa
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt/pepper
• oil for frying

Method:

1. Soak bulgur with water until completely absorbed.
2. Mix ground beef with bulgur and the rest of the spices, herbs and seasoning.
3. Let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Form mixture into American football-shaped meat balls.
5. Deep fry meatballs until completely cooked and nicely browned on the outside.
6. Serve kibbeh with yogurt sauce.

Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup thick yogurt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• lemon juice
• salt/pepper

Method:

1. Mix yogurt and garlic together and adjust seasoning with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
2. Serve sauce with kibbeh.

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Tags: beef, dairy, deep-fried