Kubba (كبة)

Ingredients

• For the shell
• 400 g fine bulgur wheat, soaked in cold water for 20 minutes, then squeezed bone dry
• 300 g lamb, twice-ground through the finest plate, ground twice through the finest plate
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp warm spices (allspice, cinnamon, black pepper), combined
• as needed ice water, for kneading
• For the filling
• 250 g minced lamb or beef, cooked
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 50 g pine nuts
• 1 tsp warm spices (allspice, cinnamon, black pepper), combined
• 1 tsp salt
• For frying
• 1 litre neutral oil, for deep-frying

Method

1. 1
   Soak the bulgur in cold water for 20 minutes. Turn it into a clean cloth and wring with full force until no moisture remains. The bulgur must feel dry and separate to the touch — any residual wetness will prevent the paste from cohering.
2. 2
   Cook the filling: sweat the chopped onion in a little oil until soft and translucent. Add the minced lamb or beef and cook through, breaking it fine. Add the pine nuts and warm spices, season with salt, and cook until any liquid has evaporated. The mixture should be dry enough to hold together when pressed. Set aside to cool completely.
3. 3
   Combine the squeezed bulgur with the twice-ground raw lamb, salt, and spices. Knead the mass with wetted hands, adding ice water a little at a time, until the paste is smooth, cohesive, and pliable — it should mould without cracking when pressed. This is where the dish lives or dies: if the fat warms during kneading, it separates from the bulgur and the shell will not hold its shape; keep the paste cold throughout.
4. 4
   Divide the shell paste into portions of approximately 80 g. Wet your hands. Cup one portion in the palm and press a deep hollow through the centre with the thumb of the other hand, rotating the paste to form a uniformly thin wall of 5–6 mm. The wall should feel even all around with no thick spots.
5. 5
   Place a modest spoonful of cooled filling into the hollow — do not overfill. Moisten the fingers well and close the opening by pressing the edges together, working the paste into the large, flat-disc form characteristic of kubba mosul. Smooth any cracks with wet fingers. The sealed surface should be unbroken.
6. 6
   Lay the filled kubba on an ice-packed tray and refrigerate for 15 minutes. The cold firms the shell paste, reducing the risk of cracking during final handling. Once chilled, allow the kubba to return to room temperature before frying — placing cold kubba into hot oil causes thermal shock and splits the shell.
7. 7
   Heat the oil to deep-frying temperature. Lower the kubba in carefully and fry until the exterior is a deep, even mahogany and the shell sounds hollow when tapped lightly. Remove and drain. The shell should be firm and dry to the touch.