Assembly option 1 - In the Levant the typical serving suggestion is to arrange all of the meat into a round or oval shape on a plate for Kibbeh Nayeh.

Kibbeh Nayeh (Chi Kofte)

NormaNorma Posted on
This raw meat dish is a satisfying and delicious dish that with a round of fresh Lebanese bread is a meal in itself!
If you are making this dish at home see the notes at the beginning of the instructions for some guidance on ordering and preparing the meat.
Assembly option 1 - In the Levant the typical serving suggestion is to arrange all of the meat into a round or oval shape on a plate for Kibbeh Nayeh.

Kibbeh Nayeh (Chi Kofte)

The raw version of kibbeh – with meat and cracked wheat
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Prep Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours
Course Appetiser, Side Dish
Cuisine Armenian, Middle Eastern
Servings 20
Calories 179

Ingredients
 
 

Kibbeh Mixture

  • 1 kilogram beef (topside)
  • 1 cup fine bulgur (cracked wheat)
  • ¾ cup water
  • 60 grams mild pepper paste (biber bekmez)
  • 30 grams hot pepper paste (biber bekmez)
  • 1 large red onion
  • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
  • 1 teaspoon cooking salt (to taste)

Garnish

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium red onion
  • 3 sprigs fresh mint
  • 6 spring onions

Note: Australian standard metric measurements are used throughout this site. The Australian tablespoon is 20 ml compared to 15 ml as the general international standard. 1 teaspoon = 5 ml; 1 tablespoon = 20 ml; 1 cup = 250 ml.

Instructions
 

Prepare Kibbeh Mixture

  • Do not use ordinary prepared mince for this dish. Most good butchers will prepare this for you, but it’s important that they know that it will be eaten raw and you need to know what to ask for! It helps to go to a middle eastern butchery as they are generally familiar with the dish. The meat must be minced fresh on the day you will serve the kibbeh nayeh. See the recipe notes for more ingredient notes.
  • If you are preparing the beef yourself you will need a mincer. Before mincing, remove all fat and sinew. There should be no visible fat at all. Keep the meat in the coldest part of the refrigerator. The meat will be a little firmer if it is colder, making it easier to grind later. Do not allow the meat to freeze.
    1 kilogram beef
  • Grind the meat in stages. You will need to grind using a coarse setting first, then pass through the mincer again at the same setting. Finally grind using the finest setting possible (if you are using discs this will be the disc with the smallest holes).
    Some people use a food processor to prepare the meat but it can result in a pureed consistency.
    1 kilogram beef
  • Place the cracked wheat in a large mixing bowl (all the ingredients will eventually go in here and it will be mixed by hand). Add the water and ensure that all of the wheat is wet then set aside to absorb.
    1 cup fine bulgur, ¾ cup water
    Place the cracked wheat in a large mixing bowl. Add the water and ensure that all of the wheat is wet then set aside to absorb for Kibbeh Nayeh.
  • Chop the onion into quarters then process for a few seconds in a small food processor. Do not over process – it should be quite fine but not pureed.
    1 large red onion
    Chop the onion into quarters then process for a few seconds in a small food processor for Kibbeh Nayeh.
  • While you are waiting for the cracked wheat to soften, prepare the garnish ingredients below.
  • Add the ground meat, onion, pepper paste, chilli flakes and salt to the bowl of cracked wheat and hand mix well.
    60 grams mild pepper paste, 30 grams hot pepper paste, 1 teaspoon chilli flakes, 1 teaspoon cooking salt
    Add the ground meat, onion, pepper paste, chilli flakes and salt to the bowl of cracked wheat and hand mix well for Kibbeh Nayeh.

Assembly

  • Assembly option 1 – In the Levant the typical serving suggestion is to arrange all of the meat into a round or oval shape on a plate. Smooth the surface (use a little water on your hands) then press into the top with a spoon or run a fork to score the dish so that when the olive oil is poured over the top it settles into these scored areas. Shaping it into a ring gives you an ideal centre to place the garnishes into later.
    Assembly option 1 - In the Levant the typical serving suggestion is to arrange all of the meat into a round or oval shape on a plate for Kibbeh Nayeh.
  • Assembly option 2 – some Armenians take the time to usually serve this dish already shaped into individual serving pieces. The distinctive shape is simply formed by squeezing a ball of the kibbeh mixture in one hand. Use a little water on your hands to help shape the pieces without them sticking to your fingers.
    Assembly option 2 - some Armenians take the time to usually serve this dish already shaped into individual serving pieces for Kibbeh Nayeh.

Garnish

  • Prepare the garnish ingredients while the meat is in the freezer or the cracked wheat is softening. Wash and pat dry mint and shallots and slice the onion (top to bottom – not in rings).
    1 medium red onion, 3 sprigs fresh mint, 6 spring onions
  • Drizzle olive oil over the kibbeh nayeh and place the other garnishes either in the centre of the dish if you are making individual serves, or on top of the finished kibbeh nayeh if you are serving it as a plate.
    2 tablespoons olive oil

Notes

Topside is a good cut for this dish as it has to be very lean – you can also use skirt steak or very lean lamb (backstrap) or goat.
See your butcher a week or two in advance if you have not used them before. That way you can line up with their meat delivery. Ask for freshly cut lean topside with sinew and fat removed (in chunks if you are planning to mince it yourself). If your butcher is mincing the meat for you, it should be the first thing through the mincer to avoid contamination. You need to explain that normal mince is way too coarse and that it needs to be very finely minced – similar to sausage mince.
In Sydney you can rely on the prepared meat from Abu Ahmad Butchery at 236 The Boulevarde, Punchbowl. Ask for the kibbeh mince – they sell it in 500g bags – it’s worth the trip if you are not nearby!
In Melbourne, Madina Halal Meats at 755 Sydney Road, Brunswick is reputed to prepare this mince – we have not tried it yet.
The cracked wheat measurement is a matter of taste – you can use anything from a handful up to 2 cups for each kilogram of meat.
Pepper paste is commonly referred to by its Turkish name biber bekmez. It is available in both hot (aci) and mild (tatli) forms and available at Middle Eastern and sometimes European (Greek/Italian) grocers. It is essentially a very thick red capsicum paste. Our preferred brand is shown here – Oncu. If you only find the mild version, add more chilli to the recipe.
Kibbeh nayeh should be consumed within 24 hours of preparation – after that if you have any left over, you can shape it into meatballs which you can add to a sauce for pasta or shape into patties and fry up with some eggs.

Nutrition

Calories: 179kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 10gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 156mgPotassium: 209mgFibre: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 82IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Meat