Kibbeh Safarjaliyeh
An Aleppo-style sweet-and-sour dish with quince, lamb, and stuffed kibbeh balls in a pomegranate-tomato sauce.
Ingredients
- fine bulgur250 g
- water1000 ml
- lean ground lamb300 g
- onion2 pcs
- salt2 tsp
- black pepper (ground)1 tsp
- seven spice mix3 tsp
- ground lamb for filling250 g
- pine nuts50 g
- vegetable oil2 tbsp
- lamb pieces500 g
- quince3 pcs
- lemon1 pcs
- garlic8 cloves
- dried mint2 tsp
- pomegranate juice500 ml
- tomato puree500 g
- sugar1 tsp
- lamb broth500 ml
Instructions
Soak fine bulgur in 150 ml water for 15 minutes, then squeeze out the excess. Grind the bulgur together with 1 onion, 300 g lamb, 1 tsp salt, 0.5 tsp pepper, and 1 tsp seven-spice blend to form the shell.
Sauté the second onion in 1 tbsp oil for 10–15 minutes. Add 250 g lamb, 0.5 tsp salt, 0.5 tsp pepper, and 1 tsp seven-spice blend. Stir in the pine nuts and let cool for the filling.
Shape the shell mixture into balls, make a hollow in each, spoon in 1 tsp of filling, and seal tightly.
Cut 500 g lamb into pieces. Sear in 1 tbsp oil with spices and salt. Pour in 1000 ml water and simmer, covered, for about 60 minutes until tender.
Cut 3 quinces into large pieces, remove the cores, and sprinkle with the juice of 1 lemon.
Warm 8 garlic cloves in the remaining oil. Add 2 tsp dried mint, 500 ml pomegranate juice, 500 g tomato purée, 500 ml broth, and 1 tsp sugar.
Add the meat and quince to the sauce. Simmer for 10–15 minutes until the quince is tender.
Add the kibbeh balls and cook for another 5–10 minutes without stirring with a spoon. Serve hot.
More recipes
Syrian-Style Kabsa
Fragrant Syrian kabsa with tender chicken, fluffy basmati rice, tomatoes, raisins and warm Middle Eastern spices.
Kibbeh bi-Saniyah — baked kibbeh without raw meat
A juicy Syrian-Levantine kibbeh with thin layers of bulgur and lamb, baked to a golden crust and cut into diamonds.
Mamounia
A delicate Syrian semolina pudding with toasted grains, orange blossom fragrance, and crunchy nuts.
Mahshi Betinjan
Tender baby eggplants filled with a fragrant mixture of rice and beef, slowly braised in a rich tomato sauce until succulent.