About this recipe
Kibbeh bil sanieh is one of the defining dishes of the Lebanese table, and the fine bulgur that makes up the crust is not optional or substitutable without changing the dish entirely. We are including it because it is worth cooking, and because it is worth being clear about which Middle Eastern dishes coeliacs genuinely cannot eat.
Ingredients
- 300 g fine bulgur wheatCONTAINS GLUTEN, not suitable for coeliacs
- 250 g greek yoghurtto serve
- 2.5 tsp fine sea salt
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 1.5 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2.5 tsp ground allspice
- 80 g pine nuts
- 3 whole onionstwo for the crust, one for the filling
- 700 g lamb mince500g for the crust, 200g for the filling
Method
- 1
Rinse the fine bulgur in cold water, then cover with cold water and soak for 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze out as much water as you possibly can with your hands.
Wet bulgur gives a soggy crust that will not hold its shape when scored. Squeeze in batches until no more liquid runs.
- 2
For the filling, heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a frying pan and toast the pine nuts for 2 minutes. Lift them out, then cook one chopped onion in the same pan for 10 minutes until golden.
- 3
Add 200g of the lamb mince and fry hard for 6 minutes until browned. Stir in 1 tsp allspice, 0.5 tsp cinnamon, 0.5 tsp pepper, the dried mint, 0.5 tsp salt and the pine nuts. Set aside to cool.
- 4
For the crust, blitz the two remaining onions in a food processor to a fine pulp. Add the remaining 500g lamb mince, the squeezed bulgur, the remaining allspice, cinnamon, pepper and 2 tsp salt.
- 5
Process in bursts, adding 3 to 4 tbsp of iced water, until you have a smooth, sticky, uniform paste. It should feel like stiff dough rather than mince.
- 6