Orange Blossom Water

Kibbeh Qassabiyeh is Aleppine dish that consists of grilled lamb meatballs “Kibbeh” cooked with a mixture of sauteed onion and peppers.

Let’s make Kibbeh Qassabiyeh:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Prepare fine white bulgur wheat, and rinse it with water.

6, 7. Add 1/4 cup water to bulgur, and soak for one hour.

8. Bulgur will be used after one hour.

9, 10, 11, 12. Finely chop red onion.

13. In a large plate, put bulgur.

14. Add 120 g finely chopped red onion to bulgur.

15, 16. To bulgur and onion, add 4 teaspoons Aleppo pepper, 1 tablespoon dried mint, 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoons al-bhar al-halabi (bhar al-daqqa al-halabi), and 1 tablespoon salt.

17, 18, 19, 20. With your hands rub and knead all the ingredients together until well combined.

21, 22. Put fat free ground lamb meat in a bowl.

23, 24. In the photo this is ground sheep/lamb tail fat “liyeh”.

25. Add ground sheep/lamb tail fat “liyeh” to ground meat.

26, 27. Mix meat and liyeh together until combined.

28. Add bulgur mixture to meat mixture.

29, 30. Mix meat mixture and bulgur mixture until combined.

31, 32. Divide meat mixture into balls. You may need to wet your hand with some water while you are forming the balls.

33, 34. Each ball equals to 20 grams.

35, 36. Grease oven dish with corn oil, and put the meatballs in the dish.

Traditionally kibbeh is put on skewers and grilled on charcoal grill, but I used the oven.

37, 38, 39, 40. Heat the oven at 390 – 480 °F (200 – 250 °C). Turn on the oven upper burner “broiler” and turn off the bottom burner “bake function”. Place the dish in the oven and broil the meatballs and turn them from time to time till grilled evenly in all sides.

41. Take grilled meatballs out of the oven.

42. In a small bowl, put corn oil.

43, 44. Put the bowl of corn oil inside the dish of grilled meatballs.

45, 46, 47, 48, 49. Bring coal and burn it on stove till red.

50. Use a tong to hold the coal, and put the coal in the bowl of corn oil.

51. Coal will produce smoke.

52. Immediately cover the dish with aluminum foil and keep it covered for some time. This step will give meatballs taste similar to the taste you get from grilling them on charcoal grill.

53, 54. Discard the oil and the coal. Set the meatballs aside.

55, 56, 57, 58. Slice white onion lengthwise. First cut onion in half as you would normal slice an onion, the slice lengthwise into strips.

56, 57. Measure 200 grams onion strips, and set aside.

61. Bring red bell pepper and green bell pepper.

62, 63. Slice red pepper into strips similar to onions. First, cut out the stem, then slice pepper in half lengthwise, then into quarters, then remove the seeds and ribs, then slice into strips.

64. Measure 140 grams red pepper strips, and set aside.

65, 66. Slice green pepper into strips similar to onions. First, cut out the stem, then slice pepper in half lengthwise, then into quarters, then remove the seeds and ribs, then slice into strips.

67, 68. Measure 140 grams green pepper strips, and set aside.

69, 70. In a pan, put 50 grams unsalted butter.

71, 72. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to butter.

73. Turn on heat and melt butter.

74, 75, 76. Add onion strips to butter, and saute onion on medium heat until tender, do not turn into golden brown.

77, 78, 79. Add pepper strips to onion strips, and toss until crisp-tender.

80. Season the mixture of onion strips and pepper strips with 1/4 teaspoon al-bhar al-halabi (bhar al-daqqa al-halabi).

81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86. Add meatballs to mixture of onion strips and pepper strips, and toss on medium heat for 5 minutes.

87, 88. In a pan, 1 tsp heat ghee, add pine nuts and keep until golden brown in color, then remove and place on paper towel and set aside.

89, 90. Serve Kibbeh Qassabiyeh in a serving plate, sprinkle with al-bhar al-halabi (bhar al-daqqa al-halabi), and garnish with pine nuts.

Laban Bi-Khiar

Prepare this early so you serve it cold with hot Kibbeh Qassabiyeh.

1. In a bowl, put yogurt.

2. Add water to yougurt, and whisk.

93, 94. Cut cucumber into small cubes.

95. Add cucumber cubes to yogurt.

96. Season with salt, and keep it in the fridge until time for serving.

89. Serve Kibbeh Qassabiyeh hot with Laban Bi-Khiar and Arabic flat bread.

Kibbeh Qassabiyeh

From: Chef Mohammad Orfali / Servings: 8 People
PDF Text Only / Print With Images

180 g fine white bulgur wheat 1/4 cup water, to soak bulgur 120 grams finely chopped red onion 4 tsp ground Aleppo pepper 1 tbsp dried mint 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp al-bhar al-halabi 1 tbsp salt 900 g fat free ground lamb meat 300 g ground sheep/lamb tail fat “liyeh” 200 g white onion strips 140 g red bell pepper strips 140 g green bell pepper strips 1/4 tsp al-bhar al-halabi 50 g unsalted butter 3 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp ghee, for pine nuts 1/4 cup pine nuts Laban Bi-Khiar 600 g yogurt 250 g water 2 medium cucumbers, cut into small cubes 2 tsp salt To Serve Arabic flat bread

Prepare fine white bulgur wheat, and rinse it with water. Add 1/4 cup water to bulgur, and soak for one hour. Bulgur will be used after one hour. Finely chop red onion. In a large plate, put bulgur. Add 120 grams finely chopped red onion to bulgur. To bulgur and onion, add 4 teaspoons Aleppo pepper, 1 tablespoon dried mint, 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoons al-bhar al-halabi (bhar al-daqqa al-halabi), and 1 tablespoon salt. With your hands rub and knead all the ingredients together until well combined. Put fat free ground lamb meat in a bowl. In the photo this is ground sheep/lamb tail fat “liyeh”. Add ground sheep/lamb tail fat “liyeh” to ground meat. Mix meat and liyeh together until combined. Add bulgur mixture to meat mixture. Mix meat mixture and bulgur mixture until combined. Divide meat mixture into balls. You may need to wet your hand with some water while you are forming the balls. Each ball equals to 20 grams. Grease oven dish with corn oil, and put the meatballs in the dish. Traditionally kibbeh is put on skewers and grilled on charcoal grill, but I used the oven. Heat the oven at 390 – 480 °F (200 – 250 °C). Turn on the oven upper burner “broiler” and turn off the bottom burner “bake function”. Place the dish in the oven and broil the meatballs and turn them from time to time till grilled evenly in all sides. Take grilled meatballs out of the oven. In a small bowl, put corn oil. Put the bowl of corn oil inside the dish of grilled meatballs. Bring coal and burn it on stove till red. Use a tong to hold the coal, and put the coal in the bowl of corn oil. Coal will produce smoke. Immediately cover the dish with aluminum foil and keep it covered for some time. This step will give meatballs taste similar to the taste you get from grilling them on charcoal grill. Discard the oil and the coal. Set the meatballs aside. Slice white onion lengthwise. First cut onion in half as you would normal slice an onion, the slice lengthwise into strips. Measure 200 grams onion strips, and set aside. Bring red bell pepper and green bell pepper. Slice red pepper into strips similar to onions. First, cut out the stem, then slice pepper in half lengthwise, then into quarters, then remove the seeds and ribs, then slice into strips. Measure 140 grams red pepper strips, and set aside. Slice green pepper into strips similar to onions. First, cut out the stem, then slice each pepper in half lengthwise, then into quarters, then remove the seeds and ribs, then slice into strips. Measure 140 grams green pepper strips, and set aside. In a pan, put 50 grams unsalted butter. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to butter. Turn on heat and melt butter. Add onion strips to butter, and saute onion on medium heat until tender, do not turn into golden brown. Add pepper strips to onion strips, and toss until crisp-tender. Season the mixture of onion strips and pepper strips with 1/4 teaspoon al-bhar al-halabi (bhar al-daqqa al-halabi) Add meatballs to mixture of onion strips and pepper strips, and toss on medium heat for 5 minutes. In a pan, 1 tsp heat ghee, add pine nuts and keep until golden brown in color, then remove and place on paper towel and set aside. Serve Kibbeh Qassabiyeh in a serving plate, sprinkle with al-bhar al-halabi (bhar al-daqqa al-halabi), and garnish with pine nuts. Laban Bi-Khiar Prepare this early so you serve it cold with hot Kibbeh Qassabiyeh. In a bowl, put yogurt. Add water to yogurt, and whisk. Cut cucumber into small cubes. Add cucumber cubes to yogurt. Season with salt, and keep it in the fridge until time for serving. To Serve Serve Kibbeh Qassabiyeh hot with Laban Bi-Khiar and Arabic flat bread.

Notes and Tips

My oven is gas oven and it has two functions:
The oven upper burner “broiler”.
The oven bottom burner “bake function”.
I can turn on both of them together, and I can turn off one of them and keep the other on.

Here is a photo of ground Aleppo pepper, and click here to know more about it.

Click here for the recipe of Al-Bhar Al-Halabi.

 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 25th, 2015 at 7:50 PM and is filed under Syrian Cooking, To Aleppo With Love. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.