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Halal-conscious recipe

Fried kibbeh with Halal beef or lamb

Soha Darwish's fried kibbeh: shells of fine bulgur blended with Halal beef or lamb mince, onion, cinnamon and mixed spice, filled with spiced mince and pine nuts and fried until crisp.

  • Cuisine Levantine
  • Meal Snack
  • Difficulty Moderate
  • Yield 22 kibbeh
  • Time 1h
  • Last updated

Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.

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A plate of fried falafel balls
Photograph from our ingredient library: fried falafel, not the finished dish from this recipe.

Why Halal checks matter here

Kibbeh is made from 750 g of beef or lamb mince in all, which is Halal only from animals slaughtered the Halal way.

Kibbeh are crisp, torpedo-shaped parcels with a shell of fine bulgur wheat blended with mince, onion and warm spices, and a filling of more mince cooked with onion and pine nuts. Both parts use beef or lamb, 750 g in all, so the only thing to change is where the meat comes from: a Halal butcher or a Halal-certified pack.

It follows Soha Darwish's fried kibbeh for BBC Good Food, which makes 22. The method has you cool the filling completely before shaping, wet your hands for each ball and aim for about 65 g a piece.

Serve them with yogurt, hummus, salad and lemon wedges for squeezing over.

Halal-critical ingredients

  • Beef or lamb mince Both the shells and the filling are made with mince, 750 g in all, and beef and lamb are Halal only from animals slaughtered the Halal way. Mince without a Halal mark doesn't say how the animal was slaughtered. Buy the mince from a Halal butcher or in a Halal-certified pack. See Beef and Lamb.

Safe substitutes

  • 750 g beef or lamb mince of unknown slaughter → 750 g Halal beef or lamb mince

Allergens

gluten (bulgur wheat), nuts (pine nuts, optional)

Ingredients

Filling

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 250 g Halal beef or lamb mince
  • 2 tbsp pine nuts (optional)
  • pinch Arabic mixed spice, or standard ground mixed spice

Shells

  • 325 g fine bulgur wheat
  • 500 g lean Halal beef or lamb mince
  • 1 small onion, roughly chopped
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Arabic mixed spice, or standard ground mixed spice
  • for frying vegetable oil, for frying
  • to serve yogurt, hummus, salad and lemon wedges, to serve

Method

  1. Make the filling. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the finely chopped onion for 10 minutes until soft. Add the 250 g mince and cook until well browned. Stir in the pine nuts, if using, and season well with salt, pepper and a pinch of the spice mix. Take off the heat and leave to cool completely.
  2. Soak the bulgur. Meanwhile, cover the bulgur with cold water and leave to soak for 20 minutes, then drain well.
  3. Make the shell mixture. Put the drained bulgur in a food processor with the 500 g mince, the roughly chopped onion, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, the cinnamon and mixed spice. Whizz until smooth, adding a couple of tablespoons of water if it seems dry.
  4. Shape and fill. With wet hands, take about 65 g of the mixture and roll it into a ball; you should get 22. Hollow out the centre with a finger to make a shell, spoon in a little of the cooled filling, seal the opening and shape into an oval with slightly pointed ends. Repeat with the rest.
  5. Fry. Half-fill a heavy-bottomed pan with vegetable oil and heat to 180°C, or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Fry the kibbeh in batches for 4 to 5 minutes, turning now and then, until crisp and golden. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Serve with yogurt, hummus, salad and lemon wedges.

How this recipe was researched

Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Fried kibbeh (bulgur & meat parcels)' by Soha Darwish (makes 22: filling of 1 finely chopped onion softened 10 minutes in 1 tbsp olive oil, 250 g beef or lamb mince browned, 2 tbsp pine nuts if using, seasoned with salt, pepper and a pinch of Arabic or standard mixed spice, cooled completely; 325 g fine bulgur soaked 20 minutes in cold water and drained; whizzed smooth in a food processor with 500 g lean beef or lamb mince, a small roughly chopped onion, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp ground cinnamon and 1 tsp Arabic or standard mixed spice, with a couple of tablespoons of water if dry; about 65 g portions shaped with wet hands into balls, hollowed, filled, sealed and shaped into ovals with pointed ends; fried in batches 4 to 5 minutes in vegetable oil heated to 180°C, drained; served with yogurt, hummus, salad and lemon wedges). We specified Halal beef or lamb mince for both the shells and the filling; nothing else needed changing. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.

Technique and ingredient sources

  1. Fried kibbeh (bulgur & meat parcels) — BBC Good Food Retrieved:

    By Soha Darwish. Makes 22, prep 30 minutes, cook 30 minutes: soaked fine bulgur blended with mince, onion, cinnamon and mixed spice into shells, filled with spiced mince, onion and pine nuts, and deep-fried 4 to 5 minutes at 180°C. We specified Halal mince.

  2. Lamb analysis — isithalal.food Retrieved:

    What makes lamb Halal: the slaughter.

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