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Pumpkin kibbeh
Kibbet laqteen: baked bulgur and pumpkin layers with a spiced chickpea and onion filling
Kibbet laqteen is the Lenten kibbeh of Lebanon's Christian villages, made in the weeks before Easter when meat is off the table: roasted pumpkin is kneaded with fine bulgur, onion and warm spices into a soft dough, which is pressed in layers around a filling of caramelised onion, chickpeas, spinach and walnuts, then baked in a round tray. It is cut into diamonds and eaten warm or cold, often with a plate of pickles and a bowl of salad. The common slip is a wet pumpkin, which makes the dough too sticky to spread; roast the pumpkin rather than boiling it. Chef's tip: score a deep diamond pattern before baking and pour oil into the cuts, so every piece comes out with crisp edges.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the pumpkin dough
For the filling
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Roast 1 ½ lb pumpkin on a lined tray for 25 minutes, until a knife slides in easily and the edges are lightly coloured. Mash it well and leave to cool a little.
25 minStep 2: Meanwhile rinse 7 oz fine bulgur wheat in a sieve and squeeze it dry. Mix with the warm pumpkin, ½ onion, 3 tbsp plain flour, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp Lebanese seven-spice, 1 tsp orange zest and 1 tsp salt, and knead for 2–3 minutes. Leave for 15 minutes; it should become a soft dough that holds together like play dough. A common mistake is a wet, sticky dough from watery pumpkin; add flour a spoonful at a time until it holds a shape.
15 minStep 3: For the filling, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook 2 onions with a pinch of salt for 12–15 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and golden brown.
15 minStep 4: Add 8 ½ oz cooked chickpeas, 5 ½ oz spinach and 1 ¾ oz walnuts and stir for 2 minutes until the spinach wilts and the pan is dry. Off the heat stir in 1 tbsp sumac, 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses and the rest of ½ tsp salt.
2 minStep 5: Oil a 25 cm round baking dish with 1 tbsp olive oil. With wet hands, press half the pumpkin dough over the base in an even layer about 1 cm thick.
Step 6: Spread the filling over it. Flatten small handfuls of the remaining dough between wet palms into patties, lay them over the filling edge to edge, and smooth the joins with wet fingers.
Step 7: Cut a deep diamond pattern into the top with a knife, down to the base, and pour the rest of 3 tbsp olive oil over so it runs into the cuts.
Step 8: Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the top is deep golden and the edges are crisp and pulling away from the dish.
40 minStep 9: Leave to rest for 10 minutes before lifting out the diamonds. It is good warm, at room temperature or packed for lunch the next day.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pumpkin kibbeh take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 35 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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