Kibbeh is considered the national dish of many countries in the Levant, namely Lebanon and Syria. In Egypt, we call it Kobeba, so this is how I’ll refer to it in this post.
You’ve probably heard of or eaten Kobeba before, but I’m willing to bet that the kind you are familiar with is the round little deep fried ones…right?
Although deep fried Kobeba balls are definitely the most popular, I firmly believe that this baked Kobeba tray, or ‘Sneyyet Kobeba’, is immeasurably more delicious, not to mention both healthier AND easier to make! Gosh, I just love it when the world is such a blissful place.
To those of you who aren’t quite familiar with it though, think of Kobeba as the Middle Eastern cousin of meatloaf. Ground meat (usually beef or lamb) is mixed with spices and Burghul (also known as Bulgur Wheat or Cracked Wheat) and then filled with an aromatic cooked mince studded with raisins and pine nuts.
this is what burghul/cracked wheat looks like
The whole thing gets baked in the oven till deep golden bronze and crispy on the outside, by which time your house will smell of an exotic Middle-Eastern spice market. Served with yoghurt and a lovely fresh salad on the side (think Fattoush or Tabbouleh), it is a beautifully healthy and filling meal…but if you want to go all-out Arab, you’ll have to serve this alongside at least 12 other dishes, feast style. Up to you really.
Here is a short visual how-to, just to show you how simple it is to make.
After you grind up the Kobeba mixture in your food processor, you spread half of it onto the base of a baking tin. Traditionally, it is made in a shallow round one. I used a rectangular tart tin, which would probably make my mother gasp in horror…but I just love how it turned out!
You then spread out your cooled cooked filling mixture over it almost to the edges. Scatter liberally with raisins and pine nuts. Preferably more than the amount I used in these photos (pine nuts, why jou so expensive??).
Top with the remaning Kobeba mixture, spread and smooth out the surface, score into slices with a sharp knife and then stud with some more pine nuts in whichever pattern your heart desires.
Bake in a hot oven till gorgeously browned and that’s it! How easy was that?? You guys, it is so ridiculously yummy. The spiced savoury saltiness of the beef against the bursts of sweetness from the raisins and the nuttiness from the pine nuts is just divine. Top with a dollop of yoghurt speckled with sumac and parsley for a creamy, tangy hit, and you are in food heaven!
To me, this tastes of everything I love about Middle-Eastern cooking, and is one of the things I adore serving when I have people over for a meal, especially because I can prep everything in advance and keep it in the fridge until it is time to bake and serve. WIN!
It is definitely a dish made to impress. Give it a try the next time you are having people over for an exotic Arabian twist that is sure to have people begging you for the recipe…which you are totally allowed to keep to yourself 😉
Baked Kobeba/Kibbeh Tray
Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING:
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 170 g minced beef
- 1 tbsp mixed spice boharat
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tbsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup raisins or sultanas
- 3/4 tbsp pine nuts plus extra for decorating the surface
FOR THE CRUST:
- 160 g burghul (bulgur wheat or cracked wheat)*
- 1 onion quartered
- 330 g minced beef
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1.5 tbsp mixed spice boharat
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tbsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tbsp ground nutmeg
FOR SERVING (optional):
- 1 cup plain yoghurt
- 1 tbsp sumac
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
Instructions
- Wash the burghul/cracked wheat thoroughly in a fine mesh sieve under cold running water until water runs clear. Place in a large bowl and cover with just-boiled water from the kettle. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes.
- While the burghul/cracked wheat is soaking, make the filling. Heat the ghee in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until lightly golden and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the beef with the spoon until it starts to change colour. Add the spices (mixed spice/boharat, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg) and season with salt. Continue to cook until beef is nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the raisins and pine nuts and take the pan off the heat. Leave to cool completely before using.
- Make the Crust: Place the onion in a food processor and pulse until finely minced. Drain the burghul/cracked wheat well (place it in a sieve and use you hand or the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible!) and add it to the food processor, along with the beef, salt and spices. Process until the mixture is smooth and everything is well combined. It should look like a thick paste.
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 F). Grease a medium sized baking tin generously with ghee (traditionally, a round 25cm/10” tin is used, but it will work well in any shape. I used a fluted rectangular 35cm x 13cm/14” x 5” tart tin).
- Spread half the crust mixture onto the bottom of the tin, smoothing out evenly with the back of a spoon. Top with the filling mixture, spreading it almost to the edges, leaving about a 1-2cm border. Top with the remaining crust mixture, spreading carefully till the edges so that the entire surface is covered. Smooth out with the back of a spoon. Using a sharp knife, score the top into slices (any size/pattern you like) and press some pine nuts into the surface to decorate.
- Place the whole tin onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper or foil (to catch any drippings. If you are using a tart tin with a removable base like I did, there will be quite a bit of fat dripping through the bottom, so it is better to use one with a non-removable base. This one is all I had though, and it worked fine). Bake in the oven for 50-60minutes, until deep golden brown all over. Mix the yoghurt with the sumac and parsley and serve alongside if desired.
Notes
- I have adapted this recipe so that it uses up 500g of beef perfectly. Feel free to double everything if you want to make a very large Kobeba tray, or two smaller ones. You can also keep a whole prepared Kobeba tray covered in the freezer for several months. Simply defrost overnight in the fridge
