Kibbeh bil Saniyeh (Syrian Baked Kibbeh Tray)

Name: Kibbeh bil Saniyeh (Syrian Baked Kibbeh Tray)
Prep time: 75 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Syrian
Ingredients: 200 g fine bulgur (fine cracked wheat); 450 g lean ground lamb or beef; 1 piece small onion; 1.5 tsp salt; 1 tsp ground allspice; 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp ground black pepper; 450 g ground lamb or beef; 1 piece medium onion; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp ground allspice; 0.25 tsp ground cinnamon; 0.5 tsp ground black pepper; 100 g pine nuts; 2 cups plain full-fat yogurt; 2 clove garlic; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp butter; 0.5 cup flat-leaf parsley; 0.5 cup pomegranate seeds; 1 piece 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan

A classic Syrian weekend project: layers of fine bulgur-and-meat 'dough' encase a spiced lamb filling; baked until golden and served with garlicky yogurt and fresh garnish. Worth the afternoon for the showy tray and deep, homey flavors.

AI image

2 hr

start to finish

1 hr 15 min

hands on

Project

difficulty

servings

8 servings

Ingredients

For the kibbeh dough

200 g fine bulgur (fine cracked wheat)soak in cold water; if you can't find fine bulgur use coarse bulgur pulsed briefly in a food processor
450 g lean ground lamb or beefvery cold
1 piece small onionabout 100 g, peeled and coarsely chopped (will be processed into the dough)
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground black pepper

For the filling

Topping & yogurt sauce

2 cups plain full-fat yogurtstirred smooth
2 clove garlicminced and mixed into the yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice

To finish & garnish

2 tbsp olive oilfor drizzling over baked tray
1 tbsp buttermelted, optional with olive oil for sheen
½ cup flat-leaf parsleychopped for garnish
½ cup pomegranate seeds(optional)

Equipment & others

1 piece 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking panor similar shallow ovenproof tray

Contains gluten, dairy, tree-nut. Cooking for an allergy? Check the label on every packet you use — brands differ, and we can only tell you what the recipe calls for.

Roughly, per serving

520 kcal28g protein35g carbs32g fat

An estimate, not a lab analysis.

Method

Place the fine bulgur in a large bowl and cover with cold water by 2 cm (about 20–25°C water); press down to submerge and let soak.
Fine bulgur softens quickly; do not over-soak—20 minutes is enough.
Drain the bulgur thoroughly in a fine-mesh sieve, pressing out excess water with the back of a spoon and set aside.
Put the soaked, drained bulgur, 450 g cold ground meat, the small chopped onion, 1.5 tsp salt, 1 tsp allspice, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp black pepper into a food processor.
Process the mixture in 30–45 second pulses until it forms a smooth, slightly sticky paste (stop and scrape down sides once).
Work in two batches if your processor is small. The mixture should hold together when pinched.
Transfer the kibbeh dough to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate while you make the filling.
Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the finely chopped onion; cook until soft and translucent, about 6–8 minutes.
Add 450 g ground meat to the skillet and brown, breaking it up with a spatula until just cooked through.
Stir in 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp black pepper; cook 2 minutes to marry the flavors, then remove from heat.
In a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pine nuts, stirring constantly until golden, about 3–4 minutes; remove immediately to stop browning.
Pine nuts burn very quickly—watch them closely.
Stir the toasted pine nuts into the cooked filling and taste for seasoning; set the filling aside to cool a little.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly oil the 9x13 inch baking pan.
Press half of the chilled kibbeh dough into the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer about 1 cm thick, using damp hands to smooth it.
Dampen your hands so the meat-bulgur doesn't stick and to help achieve a smooth surface.
Spread the cooled meat-and-pine-nut filling evenly over the bottom layer, leaving about 1 cm border around the edges.
Flatten and press the remaining kibbeh dough into a top layer over the filling; smooth the surface and score the top into diamonds or squares with a sharp knife.
Scoring helps steam escape and makes serving neat.
Brush the surface with a mixture of 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp melted butter, then bake until the top is deep golden and the filling is hot, about 35–40 minutes.
While the tray bakes, whisk together 2 cups plain yogurt, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp salt; taste and adjust.
Remove the baked kibbeh from the oven and let rest 10 minutes, then spoon the yogurt over the tray or serve it on the side; garnish with chopped parsley and optional pomegranate seeds.
Some prefer serving yogurt on the side so slices keep a crisp edge.

Worth knowing

If you don't have a food processor, finely chop the onion and use a sturdy mortar and pestle or use your clean hands to knead the bulgur and raw meat mixture until very smooth—this takes longer but works.
Adjust the spice levels to taste; Syrian kibbeh uses warm spices (allspice, cinnamon) more for aroma than heat.
Make ahead: kibbeh tray keeps refrigerated for 2 days and freezes well in portions. Reheat covered in a 350°F (175°C) oven.
To serve, cut along the scored lines so each portion holds together.

Make it yours

Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.

Meal prep

More Syrian cooking

An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Syrian cooking, not any restaurant's recipe.