How to Make Kibbeh in Yogurt Sauce (Kibbeh Labanieh)

Kibbeh labanieh (also called kibbeh bi laban) is kibbeh cooked in yogurt. Small balls of bulgur and meat dough, stuffed with spiced minced meat and pine nuts, are poached in a yogurt sauce that has been stabilised so it can boil without splitting. A last-minute sizzle of garlic and dried mint in butter goes on top. It is eaten hot, in deep plates, with Lebanese vermicelli rice on the side.

This is a family dish rather than a restaurant one, and it takes some time, so many cooks shape a large batch of kibbeh balls and freeze them. The good news is that the yogurt sauce itself is quick once you know the trick: stir constantly, in one direction, until it boils.

Ingredients

For the kibbeh dough

• 250 g (1⅓ cups) fine bulgur (burghul number 1)
• 500 g (1 lb) very lean beef or lamb, finely ground twice
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Lebanese seven spices or kibbeh spice
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

For the filling (hashweh)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 250 g (½ lb) ground beef or lamb
• 3 tablespoons (30 g) pine nuts
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon seven spices
• ½ teaspoon salt

For the yogurt sauce

• 1 kg (4 cups / 2 lb) plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
• 240 ml (1 cup) cold water
• 1 teaspoon salt

To finish

• 1 tablespoon butter or ghee
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed with a pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons dried mint

Instructions

1. Rinse the bulgur in a sieve, then soak it in cold water for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze hard by the handful to remove as much water as possible.
2. Make the filling: heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the pine nuts and stir for 2 minutes until golden, then lift them out. Add the onion and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until soft and lightly golden. Add the meat, cinnamon, seven spices and salt and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it up, until browned and dry. Stir the pine nuts back in and let it cool completely.
3. Make the dough: pulse the onion to a paste in a food processor. Add the meat, salt, spices and squeezed bulgur and process for 1 to 2 minutes, adding ice water a spoonful at a time, until you have a smooth, firm, slightly sticky dough. Chill it for 15 minutes.
4. Shape the kibbeh: keep a bowl of iced water nearby to wet your hands. Roll a piece of dough the size of a walnut (about 25 g) into a ball. Push your finger into it and turn it against your palm to make a thin, even shell. Add a teaspoon of filling, pinch the opening closed and roll smooth. You should get 28 to 32 balls. Lay them on a tray.
5. Bake the balls at 200°C (400°F) for 12 minutes, or fry them briefly, so they hold their shape in the sauce. This step is optional but helps beginners.
6. Make the yogurt sauce: whisk the cornstarch into the cold water until smooth. Put the yogurt in a large heavy pot, whisk until smooth, then whisk in the cornstarch water and salt.
7. Set the pot over medium heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, always in the same direction, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and comes to a gentle boil. Do not leave it, and do not cover it.
8. Lower the heat so it simmers gently. Slide in the kibbeh balls and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring gently now and then, until they are heated through.
9. In a small pan, melt the butter over medium heat, add the garlic and cook for 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant but not brown. Take it off the heat, stir in the dried mint, and pour it into the pot. Stir once and serve.

Tips for the best kibbeh labanieh

• Use full-fat yogurt. Low-fat yogurt is more likely to split.
• Stirring constantly until the first boil is what keeps the sauce smooth. After that, you can relax.
• Make the shells thin; a thick shell turns dense in the sauce.
• Frozen raw kibbeh balls can go straight into the simmering sauce; just add 5 minutes.

Variations

• Shish barak: many families cook small meat dumplings in the same yogurt sauce, sometimes together with the kibbeh.
• Some cooks add a handful of chopped fresh coriander to the garlic at the end instead of mint.

How to serve and store

Serve in deep bowls with Lebanese rice with vermicelli. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat slowly on low heat, stirring, and add a splash of water if the sauce has thickened.

Fine bulgur from a Bekaa mill such as Al Najjar Modern Mills gives the smoothest dough, and fresh laban from Skaff Dairy Farm in Zahle makes a lovely tangy sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions