Potato Kibbeh (Kibbet Batata)

Potato kibbeh, or kibbet batata, is the vegan alternative to the popular Lebanese meat kibbeh nayeh, and it tastes just as good.

Potato kibbeh is the perfect Lebanese mezze appetizer dish to serve with tabouli, fattoush, and pita chips.

Ingredient Notes

I've always been someone who believes the best recipes are those that don't need a long list of ingredients to make, and this one proves my point. Filled with flavor that comes from all the fresh herbs and drizzled with olive oil, it's just perfect.

• Fine Bulgur: Fine bulgar gives this potato kibbeh the kibbeh-like texture. Make sure you use fine bulgur, which is different from coarse bulgur wheat. It's easy to get fine bulgar and coarse bulgar mixed up if you're unfamiliar with this kind of grain.
• Mixed spices: Seven spices, allspice, and a hint of black pepper.
• Use yellow waxy potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes (peeled and boiled)

How To Make Potato Kibbeh

Soften the fine bulgur wheat by rinsing it and draining it. It's different from coarse bulgur wheat, so it should soften quickly (about 5 to 10 minutes).

Wash, peel, and boil the potatoes. Then mash the potatoes while they're still a bit hot. In a large bowl, add the mashed potatoes to the soaked bulgur.

Chop the green onion and add it to the bowl. Add the dried mint, ground allspice, Lebanese seven spices, salt, black pepper, and fresh herbs.

Next, hand-knead everything together. Add in drizzles of olive oil as you knead. To serve, spoon the mixture into a large serving plate and use a spatula to spread it out. Make a nice pattern.

Serve this popular Middle Eastern dish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and pita bread.

Tips and Tricks

• Use olive oil in the potato mixture: Even though not all potato kibbeh recipes call for olive oil to be kneaded into the mixture, it makes such a great difference in the texture and taste.
• Mash the potatoes while they're a bit hot: This helps to stop lumps from forming as you mash. Use a potato masher.
• Use the freshest ingredients: Don't substitute the herbs; make sure your potatoes are fresh. This makes a huge difference when it comes to the taste of this dish.

Variations and Substitutions

• Fried potato kibbeh: My grandma always steals some of the potato mixture, forms it into mini patties, and fries them until they're crunchy and golden brown.
• Potato kibbeh sandwich: Spread the mixture on hot pita bread and wrap it up.
• Substitute the dried mint for freshly chopped mint leaves.

Kibbeh Recipes

Kibbeh is the national dish of Lebanon. There are many different Lebanese kibbeh recipes:

• Baked stuffed kibbeh (my favorite) - this is a three-layer kibbeh recipe that has a meat filling with pine nuts and caramelized onions in the middle.
• Fried kibbeh balls - Stuff spiced meat inside kibbeh meat and deep fry.
• Kibbeh labanieh - Simmer kibbeh balls in mint yogurt.
• Kibbeh bil sanieh - this is the classic kibbeh recipe. Press the kibbeh meat mixture into a sheet pan and bake.
• Quinoa kibbeh - this is the gluten-free version of baked stuffed kibbeh
• The famous raw kibbeh nayeh - raw meat kibbeh made with freshly ground meat and soaked bulgar

📋 Recipe

Potato Kibbeh (Kibbet Batata)

Author: Mariam Nabbout

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Lebanese

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

5 from 2 votes

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Servings 6

Potato kibbeh, or kibbet batata, is a delicious, vegan take on Lebanon's popular meat kibbeh. It's a delicious mezze appetizer made from mashed potatoes, bulgar wheat, fresh herbs, and spices.

Ingredients

 

US Customary - Metric

• 4 to 5 medium potatoes about 2 lbs or 1 kg
• 1 cup fine bulgar wheat about 170 gr or 6 ounces
• ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried mint
• 1 to 2 sprigs green onion chopped
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon all spice
• 1 teaspoon Lebanese 7 spices
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• salt to taste

Instructions

• Wash and drain the bulgur. 
• Wash, peel, boil, and mash the potatoes. 
• Place the washed bulgur in a large mixing bowl, top it with the mashed potatoes. 
• Next add in the chopped parsley, green onions, dried mint, spices, and salt. 
• Knead everything together to allow the flavors to be evenly distributed. Add in drizzles of olive oil as you knead. 
• Spoon the mixture into a large serving plate and use a spatula to spread it out.
• Drizzle with some more olive oil and serve. 

Notes

1. Serve cold. 
2. Storage: Store the potato kibbeh in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days. This dish doesn't freeze well and must always be served fresh.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 /6 dish | Calories: 384 kcal | Carbohydrates: 49 g | Protein: 7 g | Fat: 18 g | Saturated Fat: 2 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16 g | Trans Fat: 0 g | Cholesterol: 0 mg | Sodium: 328 mg | Fiber: 6 g | Sugar: 3 g

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