How To Make The Perfect Kibbeh

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1. 1Step 1: Start by making the filling. Heat half the oil in a frying pan, toast the pine nuts until golden, then scoop out with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. 2Step 2: Add the remaining oil and onion to the hot pan, fry until soft and golden, then stir in the baharat and fry for another minute or so.
3. 3Step 3: Add the lamb, fry until well browned, then add the molasses, if using, and season to taste. Stir in the pine nuts, then take off the heat and leave to cool.
4. 4Step 4: Put the bulgur in a large heatproof bowl, cover with 200ml just-boiled water and leave to soak for at least five minutes. Meanwhile, put the remaining lamb in a mini chopper or similar and blitz to a paste – such a small amount shouldn’t cause the motor to heat up, but if you’re making more, add an ice cube to keep things cool.
5. 5Step 5: Add the lamb paste to the bulgur bowl, add all the remaining dough ingredients and use your hands to squidge everything together into a dough, adding a spoonful or two of cold water so the mix sticky rather than dry.
6. 6Step 6: Use damp hands to shape the mix into balls about 3cm across, then poke a large hole in each in turn with a finger.
7. 7Step 7: Hollow this out by turning the ball around against your finger – the aim is create a thin shell, but this does take practice – add a teaspoon of the filling, then close the dough back around it, shaping it again into a ball with damp hands. Put the finished kibbeh under a clean damp cloth.
8. 8Step 8: Fill a large, deep pan no more than a third full of neutral oil, then heat it to 180C (a thermometer is the best way to ensure good results here, but know that it should sizzle the moment the kibbeh meets the oil).
9. 9Step 9: Drop a few kibbeh into the hot oil – too many will bring down the temperature and they’ll fall apart – and fry, turning occasionally, for about five minutes, until deep brown. Drain on kitchen paper and repeat with the remaining kibbeh.
10. 10Step 10: Serve with yoghurt, herbs, sliced green peppers and flatbreads.