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Quinoa Kebbe (Gluten Free Kebbe!)

Ingredients

Kebbe shell:

  • 1 kg kebbe meat
  • 2.5 cups quinoa (i used a mix of red and white, you can use any) cooked in 5 cups of water
  • 3 tbsp salt
  • 3 tbsp cinnamon
  • 3 tbsp allspice
  • 1.5 tbsp 7 spices
  • 1.5 tbsp cumin
  • 0.5 tbsp black pepper
  • 0.5 tbsp white pepper

Kebbe filling:

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 500-600 g minced meat, i use low fat
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 0.5 tbsp tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp 7 spices
  • 0.5 tbsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tbsp allspice
  • 35 g toasted pine nuts (optional but add a nice touch)
  • 1-2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (optional)

Others:

  • Food processor
  • 2 x 30 cm pans and an extra small one if needed
  • Vegetable oil for cooking
  • Water and ice to handle the meat

Instructions

To make the shell:

  • Wash the quinoa and drain it. Cook it in water until fluffy and cool it (fridge) It needs to be at room temperature when you use it.
  • Add the salt and spices to the cooled quinoa and mix well, I find it better to do this by hand.
  • Use a food processor to mix the meat with the quinoa and create a sort of dough. You will need to work in batches, adding some meat with some quinoa and processing them. Once they come together in a ball, remove them and add more meat and quinoa. Do this until you’ve used up all the meat and quinoa. 
  • Once you’re done, let it rest in the fridge.

To make the filling:

  • Fry the finely chopped onion in oil until tender.
  • Add the meat and spices and pomegranate molasses (if using) and cook. 
  • If adding pine nuts, toast (or fry in little oil) them in a pan on the side and add the meat filling once done.

To assemble and cook:

  • Brush the bottom of the pan you want to cook in with 2 tbsp vegetable oil. I don’t use olive oil here because we plan too cook it at a high temperature. Then dip you hands in the ice water and take a piece of the shell dough and flatten it to about 1 cm. Repeat the process patching pieces until you’ve covered the entire base. If the meat is sticky just tap your hands in the water, but do not overuse it, we don’t want it to get soupy.
  • Add some of the meat filling on top.
  • Repeat step 8 and form a top layer.
  • Cut it up with a knife into 8 pieces cutting through both layers, and then make the pattern by cutting through the top layer only. Check the video for more instructions on this.
  • Add 2-3 tbsp oil and brush it to cover the entire pan.
  • Bake in a preheated oven at 200° C for 25-30 minutes until cooked and the top is crispy.

Notes

  • I made 2 large pans and and had extras for a very small one.
  • We all loved it, i didn’t tell the kids this was different and they did not notice, they even ate mine.
  • The texture is not the same as kebbe made with burghol, it’s a bit crumbier than usual but still amazing.
  • Serve with a simple salad or yoghurt.
  • Get the meat for the shell from your local Lebanese butcher. Say you want “la7me mad2ou2a for kebbe, without any spices or burghol”.
  • Like all kebbes, this freezes well. You can cut them into pieces and freeze, before eating just pop it into the oven for a couple of minutes.