Region
Iraqi Kurdistan
Serves
5
Prep time
120 min
Sour kibbeh is one of the most distinguished dishes of Iraqi Kurdistan, celebrated in Sulaymaniyah, Erbil and Kirkuk. It differs from Levantine kibbeh in its small hazelnut-sized form and in its golden-yellow shell of fine bulgur, ground rice and turmeric. The dumplings are simmered in a richly sour broth bound by tamarind or pomegranate molasses, together with vegetables, chickpeas and chard. It is eaten hot on winter evenings and as an iftar dish in Ramadan. Making it well demands serious skill in shaping the thin shell; Sulaymani mothers sometimes prepare it in collective sittings they call 'the kibbeh circle'.
Ingredients
For the shell:
• 500 g fine bulgur
• 150 g short-grain rice
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 1 tsp allspice
• Salt
For the filling:
• 400 g minced beef
• 2 onions, chopped
• 100 g crushed walnuts
• Black pepper, allspice
For the broth:
• 4 tbsp tamarind paste + 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 2 potatoes, 1 chard bunch, 1 cup soaked chickpeas
• 5 cloves garlic, tomatoes
• 2 L water or chicken stock
Instructions
1. Cook the rice halfway. Soak the bulgur in warm water for 30 minutes, then drain.
2. Knead the rice and bulgur firmly with turmeric and spices until you have a smooth, mouldable dough.
3. Prepare the filling: sauté onion in oil, add the beef, walnuts and spices.
4. Take a hazelnut-sized piece of dough, shape it into a ball, press a hollow with the finger, stuff with the filling and close.
5. Build the broth: simmer the vegetables in water with tamarind, pomegranate molasses and garlic.
6. Drop the kibbeh into the boiling broth and simmer gently for 40 minutes.
7. Serve hot in bowls of broth, with a slice of lemon.