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Kubbat halab
Beef-stuffed rice dough torpedoes
Kubbat halab (כובה חלב): Iraqi-Jewish fried rice-dough torpedoes stuffed with spiced beef
Kubbat halab, named after Aleppo but beloved of Baghdadi Jews, are golden torpedoes of turmeric rice dough wrapped around minced beef with parsley, almonds and raisins, and in Ramat Gan and Or Yehuda they are fried by the tray for weddings, Shabbat lunch and the Iraqi kiosks around the market. The shell is made from soaked, pounded rice rather than bulgur, so it is gluten free with a thin, crunchy crust and a soft inside. Eat them hot with amba and a chopped salad. The classic error is a shell too thick or with cracks, which either stays doughy or bursts in the oil; wet your hands and seal every seam. Chef's tip: cook the rice very soft and knead it while warm; cold rice will not bind.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the shell
- 14 oz short-grain or risotto ricerinsed
- 4 ¼ cups water
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp potato starch
For the filling
- 10 ½ oz minced beef
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ oz flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped
- 1 oz flaked almondstoasted
- 1 oz raisins
- 1 tsp baharat
- ¾ tsp salt
For frying
- 4 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 14 oz short-grain or risotto rice, 4 ¼ cups water, 1 tsp ground turmeric and 1 tsp salt in a pan, bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes until very soft and the water is absorbed. Leave to cool until just warm.
30 minStep 2: Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and soften 1 onion for 6 minutes. Add 10 ½ oz minced beef and cook, breaking it up, until browned and cooked through with no pink (160°F).
14 minStep 3: Stir 1 tsp baharat, ¾ tsp salt, 1 oz raisins, 1 oz flaked almonds and ½ oz flat-leaf parsley into the meat and leave to cool.
Step 4: Knead the warm rice with 3 tbsp potato starch for 5 minutes, or pulse briefly in a food processor, until it forms a smooth, sticky dough that holds together.
5 minStep 5: With wet hands take a walnut-sized ball of dough, flatten it in your palm to a 7 cm disc, put a spoonful of filling in the middle and close the dough around it, shaping a torpedo with pointed ends. Smooth any cracks with a wet finger. Makes about 18.
Step 6: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a deep pan to 350°F, or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Fry the kubba 4 or 5 at a time, turning, for 4–5 minutes until golden and crisp.
15 minStep 7: Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kubbat halab take?
- About 100 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of short-grain or risotto rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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