Kibbeh Bil Sanieh (Baked Kibbeh)

5 from 6 votes

Kibbeh Bil Sanieh (Baked Kibbeh)

Kibbeh bil sanieh, aka baked kibbeh, is a quintessential Lebanese dish made from ground meat, bulgar wheat, and spices. It's popular across the country and loved by everyone.

Servings:

Ingredients

2.2 lbs ground meat I used lamb, you can also use veal or beef
20 ounces fine bulgur wheat dry weight
1 medium onion chopped into quarters
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon Lebanese 7 spices
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
water keep a bowl on hand to help you form the kibbeh dough

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Soak the bulgar wheat in water for 40 minutes to 1 hour. The bulgar should be soft when ready. Drain the bulgar wheat.
Split the meat into three batches. Grind the first two batches in a food processor and place them in a bowl. Put the third batch of meat in the food processor along with the onion and spices and process. Add this mixture to the rest of the ground meat.
Add the bulgur to the meat and start kneading the mixture with your hands until everything is mixed together (it takes around 5-7 minutes so keep mixing). If you feel the mixture needs it, place your hands in a bowl of cold water and then mix again.
Once everything is combined, shape the mixture into 4 small balls.
Grease an oven dish with some vegetable oil, then start pressing each of the 4 balls into the dish until you cover the entire surface of the dish (you can make it as thick or thin as you want depending on what you prefer, I make it on the thicker end).
Make horizontal and vertical lines across the spread meat (it'll look like squares). Use a knife to make 2-3 line cuts inside each square (this stops the kibbeh from rising and allows the oil to seep in evenly). Use a finger to make holes at the corners of some of the kibbeh squares.
Cover the entire dish with oil. Pop into a pre-heated oven 400 ℉ (204 ℃). Bake for 45 minutes to an hour.
Once done, remove the tray from the oven. Wait for it to cool before cutting up the pieces and transferring them to a serving dish (they'll crumble if you don't wait for them to cool down).

Notes

Serve hot alongside some yogurt.

Nutrition