Lebanese Raw Kibbe Recipe – Kibbeh Nayyeh
Kibbeh Nayyeh stands for “raw Kibbeh”, with Kibbeh being the patties made from ground meat, Bulgur (cracked weat) and spices. We’ve featured a Grilled Kibbe Recipe on our food blog in the past and the recipe for Kibbeh Nayyeh isn’t that much different. Let’s know how to make this delicious Lebanese Raw Kibbe – Kibbeh Nayyah.
Kibbeh Nayyeh Very Famous In Lebanon
If you’d told me 10 years ago that I’d be writing a blog post about Kibbeh Nayyeh I would have laughed; I didn’t like this dish in the past simply because it has raw meat, and despite the fact that it’s very famous in Lebanon. And I assume that it’s natural for anyone who isn’t familiar with this dish to wonder a bit about the consumption of raw meat… but I’d say you gotta give it a chance.
How to Make Lebanese Raw Kibbe
In this post, we’re featuring mom’s tested and proven Kibbeh Nayyeh recipe. How proven? We’ll, she’s made it for the past 5 decades. virtually every Sunday for our family lunch as a side dish.
Goat Meat For Kibben Nayyeh?
Some people noted in the comments section that Kibbeh Nayyeh “must” be made with lamb. This is not true. The real Kibbeh Nayyeh made in the Lebanese mountains is more often made with lean goat meat than with lamb. Just because goat meat is not gamy. However, if goat meat is not readily available, you can surely make it with lamb or beef, as long as you pick lean cuts and you could add a bit more cinnamon powder to cover up any lamb gaminess.
Advice: it goes without saying that consumption of raw meat may cause a health hazard especially for pregnant women. If you eat this dish out, make sure the restaurant is clean and they know what they’re doing as the mishandling of raw meat can be detrimental.
Lebanese Raw Kibbeh Recipe – Make Kibbeh Nayyeh at Home
Ingredients
Kibbeh Nayyeh Ingredients
- 2 lb goat meat lean, or lamb, or beef
- 1 cup bulgur fine
- 2 white onions small
- 1/2 bell pepper optional
- 2/3 cup mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon Marjoram dried or green
- 1 teaspoon Lebanese 7 spices
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup olive oil for serving
Optional Sides
- 4 loafs pita bread
Instructions
Freezing The Meat
- Since we're going to be eating it raw, freeze the meat for 2 weeks prior to making the dish if possible in order to reduce typical raw meat contamination and bacteria. Also try to buy quality local, fresh meat whenever possible.
- Partially thaw the meat for 6 hours in the fridge prior to preparing the dish.
Preparing the Kibbeh Nayyeh
- Place the Bulgur in a small bowl and rinse it with cold water, then drain and squeeze to get rid of as much water as possible.
- Put the meat in a food processor along with about 5 cubes of ice and half of the cinnamon and spin it for about 3-5 minutes until it becomes very fine. Important: stop the processor every minute or so and feel the meat to ensure it’s not warming up. If it is, add a bit more ice cubes and spin. Once done, set aside in a large bowl.
- To make the spice mix, put the green pepper, mint, marjoram, onion, salt, chili powder and 7-spices in the food processor and mix them well.
- Add the Bulgur, spice mix on top of the meat and knead well for a few minutes to make sure that all ingredients have integrated well.
Serving the Kibbeh Nayyeh
- Immediately after the kneading, place the Kibbeh Nayyeh in a serving plate and flatten it making symmetric dents in it with the edge of a spoon for show.
- Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and fresh mint leaves on top.
- Serve cold along a side of pita bread, and a veggie plate which may include white onions, green onions, chili peppers, mint, salty chili pepper pickles etc...
Notes
- Kibbe Nayyeh needs to be served cold, so you need to keep the dish in the fridge until serving time.
- Serve with optional sides including: mint, radish, green peppers, green chili peppers, hot peppers, green onions, white onions etc.
- Kibbe Nayyeh can be eaten with a fork or wrapped in pita bread.
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