Kibbeh is a must-have appetizer in every Middle Eastern/Arabic restaurant, especially in Levantine cuisine. It’s a popular hot appetizer dish, made of Bulghur wheat stuffed with meat, onion, and pine nuts. This recipe is my Vegan version of this tasty Appetizer.
What is Kibbeh?
It is one of Middle Eastern cuisine’s most popular Appetizer dishes. There are different varieties of the recipe, such as Kibbeh bil laban, kibbeh bil sanieh, or kibbeh nayah. This recipe is the Vegan makeover of the famous Lebanese Fried Kibbeh.
In the original Kibbeh recipe, the bulgur is mixed with the raw beef to make the dough and then stuffed with the meat and the other ingredients, however, in this recipe I have combined the bulgur with soft-boiled potatoes, and cornstarch to make the kibbeh dough.
For the meat stuffings, there are 2 options a homemade vegan mince or store-bought vegan mince.
Recipe ingredients:
Kibbeh Dough Ingredients:
- Bulgur wheat: use the fine Bulgur variety for this recipe.
- Boiled water: for prepping the fine bulgur.
- Potatoes: use soft-boiled potatoes for the dough. It will make the kibbeh crispy when it is fried.
- Corn starch
- Kibbeh spices or ( Kamouneh) if you don’t have access to any kibbeh spices you can just use 7 species mix.
- Paprika.
- Salt & pepper
Vegan Mince Ingredients (store-bought):
- Vegan mince: use any store-bought vegan mince.
- Onion
- Olive oil
- Spices: chili pepper, kibbeh spice, paprika, cinnamon, salt & pepper
- Chopped parsley
- Pomegranate molasses
- Toasted pine nuts: you can substitute with almonds or any other nuts or skip this it’s completely optional.
- Vegetable oil for deep frying: I usually use avocado oil to fry the kibbeh, but you can use any neutral oil for frying.
Homemade Vegan Mince Ingredients:
- Homemade vegan mince recipe.
- Chopped parsley.
- Pomegranate molasses.
- Toasted pine nuts.
How to make Vegan Kibbeh:
Make the dough:
- To a mixing bowl, add 1 cup of bulgur and 1 cup of boiled water, mix with a fork, and cover it with a cling film. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cling film, and with a fork mix the bulgur. The water should be completely absorbed and the bulgur should be soft.
- To the bulgur, add the soft-boiled potatoes, starch, salt, pepper, and spices. Start kneading the dough using your hands. If the dough is dry you can add boiled water 1 tbsp at a time, for my dough, I added 4 tbsp of boiled water (in total) while kneading till it was completely soft and everything was well combined. Keep kneading for 15 minutes until the dough is perfect for shaping into kibbeh. You don’t want any sticky dough which is harder to form into kibbeh and won’t cook properly therefore add water slowly 1 tbsp at a time.
- Before shaping the kibbeh, first, divide the dough into 10 medium-sized balls and cover them with a cling film while you shape each kibbeh as it can dry out and will be difficult to shape into kibbeh later on.
Make the stuffings:
To make the store-bought vegan mince:
- Heat a medium-sized cast iron pan, then add 1 tbsp olive oil. Once the oil is heated add the chopped onion and saute on medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Add the store-bought vegan mince to the onion and mix well, then add the chopped parsley, pomegranate molasses, and all the spices for the filling. Mix well till everything is well combined and let it cook for 5 minutes on medium-high heat.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool, once completely cooled you can add the toasted pine nuts and mix.
To make the homemade vegan mince:
- Use this homemade vegan mince recipe.
- To the vegan mince add chopped parsley, pomegranate molasses, and toasted nuts.
- Mix well and it’s ready to use.
Making the kibbeh:
- Start shaping the kibbeh, it helps to wet your hand with a water and starch mix. Mix ½tbsp of cornstarch with 4 tbsp water and keep it near you while you are shaping the kibbeh.
- Take a dough ball and with your finger press gently in the middle to form a cavity and keep turning gently till the sides are thin but not too thin to break. Once you have shaped it add 2 tbsp of the filling (or less if your kibbeh is smaller in size) then gently while wetting your hand with the starch and water mix, begin to close, form, and shape into an oval shape.
- Lay the kibbeh in a try (use wax/ parchment paper so it won’t stick to the tray) and place it in the freezer for up to 30 minutes before frying.
- Add the oil to a deep frying pan and heat, when the oil is hot and ready for frying, start adding your kibbeh, add 3 to 4 max at a time (depending on your pan size) don’t overcrowd the pan with the kibbeh so they won’t stick with each other or break. leave to fry for a minute before turning with a spoon and let each batch cook for 8 minutes or until completely cooked, browned, and crispy.
- Let it drain excess oil on the kitchen paper towel and then it is ready to be served.
Recipe notes:
- This recipe is not quick, since each kibbeh needs to be shaped individually as you will see down in the details recipe instructions, but you can always prep ahead in big batches and freeze.
- Be very careful with the addition of boiled water to the bulgur dough, follow the recipe carefully not to add too much water which will result in a sticky dough that won’t hold its shape when frying and will break.
- To help shape each kibbeh, mix starch, and water and wet your fingers while shaping them, it helps to smooth them.
- When adding the toasted nuts to the filling mix, ensure it is completely cooled otherwise the nut won’t stay crunchy. let the filling mix cool and then add the nuts.
How to serve it:
Serve it as an appetizer or in a mezze platter. It is great with hummus, or mutabel .
For a more elegant presentation, try serving it alongside a fresh salad of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers, or with this Arabic salad. The bright colors and flavors of the salad will complement the savory kibbeh beautifully.
In Ramadan, it is Iftar tradition to serve kibbeh with soup, such as this Arabic lentil soup or tomato soup.
Storing the kibbeh
To store any leftovers, let it cool to room temperature first, then transfer it to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 -4 days. All you need to do is reheat in the oven for 15 minutes.
To store the kibbeh in the freezer, you can freeze it after shaping it, and before frying it. Line a tray with wax/parchment paper, layer the kibbeh, and place it in the freezer. Once frozen you can place it in plastic freezer bags and store it in the freezer for up to a month. To cook the kibbeh just fry it immediately after removing it from the freezer, no need to defrost it, and make sure the oil is hot before placing the kibbeh to fry it.
Recommended recipes:
For more Vegan recipes, check below the most popular recipes at VBA:
If you make this recipe, I’d love a comment, and to rate this recipe. Please make sure to tag me in re-creation on Instagram @veganbilaraby. I love to see your take on my vegan recipes 💚
Vegan kibbeh
Ingredients
Dough ingredients
- 1 cup fine bulgur wheat
- 2 boiled potatoes medium size
- 1 cup boiled water
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1½ tbsp kibbeh spice
- ½ tsp paprika
- black pepper sprinkle
kibbeh filling (hashweh)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 270 g vegan mince store-bought
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 2 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp chili pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp kibbeh spice
- 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts optional
- vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- To a mixing bowl, add 1 cup of bulgur and 1 cup of boiled water, mix with a fork and cover it with a cling film. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, start prepping the filling. Heat a medium size cast iron pan, then add 1 tbsp olive oil. Once the oil is heated add the chopped onion and saute on medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Add the Vegan mince to the onion and mix well, then add the chopped parsley, pomegranate molasses, and all the spices for the filling. Mix well till everything is well combined and let it cook for 5 minutes on medium-high heat.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool, once completely cooled you can add the toasted pine nuts and mix.
- Going back to the dough, remove the cling film, and with a fork mix the bulgur. The water should be completely absorbed and the bulgur should be soft.
- To the bulgur, add the soft-boiled potatoes, starch, salt, pepper, and spices, and start kneading the dough using your hands. If the dough is dry you can add boiled water 1 tbsp at a time, for my dough, I added 4 tbsp of boiled water (in total) while kneading till it was completely soft and everything was well combined. keep kneading for 15 minutes until the dough is perfect for shaping into kibbeh. You don't want any sticky dough which is harder to form into kibbeh and won't cook properly therefore add water slowly 1 tbsp at a time.
- Before shaping the kibbeh, first, divide the dough into 10 medium size balls and cover them with a cling film while you shape each kibbeh as it can dry out and will be difficult to shape into kibbeh later on.
- For shaping the kibbeh, it helps to wet your hand with a water and starch mix. Mix ½tbsp of cornstarch with 4 tbsp water and keep it near you while you are shaping the kibbeh.
- Take a dough ball and with your finger press gently in the middle to form a cavity and keep turning gently till the sides are thin but not too thin to break. once you have shaped it add 2 tbsp of the filling (or less if your kibbeh is smaller in size) then gently while wetting your hand with the starch and water mix, begin to close, form and shape into an oval shape.
- Lay the kibbeh in a try (use wax/ parchment paper so it won't stick to the tray) and place it in the freezer for up to 30 minutes before frying.
- Add the oil to a deep frying pan and heat, when the oil is hot and ready for frying, start adding your kibbeh, add 3 to 4 max at a time (depending on your pan size) don't overcrowd the pan with the kibbeh so they won't stick with each other or break. leave to fry for a minute before turning with a spoon and let each batch cook for 8 minutes or until completely cooked and browned and crispy.
- let it drain excess oil on the kitchen paper towel and then serve and enjoy.
Warda says
Looks appetising 😍 will make it and update you.
Great idea to make it vegan👍🏻