Kibbeh nayyeh

"All regions of Lebanon prepare Kibbeh nayyeh differently. This recipe, which is inspired by the south of Lebanon, celebrates the fresh herbs and spices incorporated with the raw meat. It's important to buy your mince from a Lebanese butcher and let them know it's for kibbeh nayyeh so they know to grind it very finely."

Credit: Adam Liaw

• serves

  6

• prep

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 small brown onion, quartered
• 2 spring onions, trimmed and cut into 5 cm lengths
• ¼ red capsicum, seeded and roughly chopped
• 2 tsp salt, or to taste
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp 7 spice
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 heaped tsp kibbeh kamouneh mix
• 1 sprig of mint, leaves picked
• 1 sprig of basil leaves, (Lebanese basil if available), leaves picked
• 130 g (¾ cup) fine brown bulgur
• 1 long red chilli, seeded and chopped (optional)
• 500 g finely ground lean lamb and beef mince (see note)

Garnish

• 1 bunch mint, leaves picked
• extra virgin olive oil, to serve
• 1 bunch baby red radishes, trimmed
• 1 bunch spring onions, trimmed
• fresh chilli (optional), thinly sliced
• Lebanese bread, to serve

Instructions

1. Place all the ingredients except the minced meat in a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds or until the mixture is combined and moist but not to the point that it is runny. The aim is to form a loose, fragrant and crumbly burghul mixture that will be used to flavour the meat as well as to garnish.
2. Place the minced meat and three quarters of the bulgur mixture in a wide bowl large enough to incorporate all the ingredients comfortably. Make sure your hands are very clean and that you have a small bowl of cold water beside you to help with the stickiness of the fresh meat. Begin to combine and knead the meat and burghul mixture together, incorporating them both as much as possible without leaving any parts of the meat unflavoured. If the mixture becomes too sticky while you're mixing it, dip your hands in the bowl of water to assist. Aim to do this process as quickly as possible because when handling raw meat, it should be done with the least amount of contact. The mixture should not be sticky or too wet.
3. Shape the mixture into small palm – sized moulds called frakkeh (traditionally, kibbeh nayyeh is served in a dome - like shape on a plate). Garnish with the remaining burghul mixture and some of the mint, then pour over a generous drizzle of olive oil. Serve with radishes, spring onion, chilli, mint and Lebanese bread.

 

Photography by Adam Liaw.

Want more from The Cook Up?

• Stream free here at SBS On Demand.

• Get the show recipes, articles and more here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.