Kibbeh: Lessons from a Master
"Kibbeh, believe me, is not an overrated meatball," writes Paula Wolfert in her classic book, The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean (HarperCollins). Turkish and Middle Eastern chefs make kibbeh in innumerable ways—Wolfert lists 50—and these savory, moist meatballs are almost always on the meze table there. Kibbeh is an Arabic word. The Turks call them köfte.
As you'll see in the accompanying video, kibbeh can be shaped into balls, ovals or patties. Some are not much bigger than a marble; others are as large as a hand. They can be steamed, boiled, grilled, fried or not cooked at all. Most contain ground meat—typically lamb—but some are vegetarian. And virtually all of them contain fine bulgur, which swells when moistened and binds the meat, but the ratio of bulgur to meat varies.
Typically, kibbeh consist of two parts: a shell and a filling. The shell might be made of finely ground lamb and bulgur, kneaded to a paste. The filling might be more spiced ground meat enhanced with pine nuts or walnuts. The shell is formed around the filling to enclose it, then the kibbeh are usually cooked. Common seasonings for kibbeh of all kinds include cumin, red pepper, parsley and minced onion.
"You have virtually the same ingredients used in all," says Ayfer Unsal, a Turkish food authority, "but they taste totally different. It's unbelievable." One key to success with kibbeh is thorough kneading—at least 20 minutes, says Unsal. The lengthy kneading helps the ingredients to adhere. The bulgur is often soaked briefly to allow the grains to swell and make kneading easier.
Turkish restaurateur Musa Dagdeviren is a kibbeh master. He demonstrated five different types of kibbeh at the 2005 Worlds of Flavor conference, and we captured his artistry on video. Here are the types he made:
A vegetarian kibbeh with a shell made of equal parts mashed potatoes and bulgur and a filling of lentils and spinach. These kibbeh are fried in hot oil. Notice how the chef splashes some hot water in the oil to make sure it is hot enough to fry.
- Kibbeh with a shell of bulgur and little meat and a filling of ground meat, pomegranate, cilantro and red pepper. The chef shapes them like a torpedo and fries them.
- Kibbeh with a shell of meat and a little bulgur and a filling of ground meat and walnuts. These kibbeh are steamed.
- Kibbeh with a meat and bulgur shell and a filling of walnuts, fried onions and ground meat. These kibbeh are boiled.
- Kibbeh made of two flattened disks of ground raw meat and a filling of sheep's tail fat and mint. This kibbeh is pan fried and served with a dipping sauce.
In Turkey, says Unsal, kibbeh is almost never served with a sauce. The classic accompaniments are a yogurt drink and a green salad. But Dagdeviren sometimes departs from tradition and serves his kibbeh with a sauce made from tahini and pomegranate molasses.
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