A layered Levantine tray of fine bulgur shell and spiced lamb with toasted pine nuts — kibbeh bil sanieh turns the labour of hand-shaped kibbeh into one generous baked dish, scored into diamonds and cut at the table. It is exactly the kind of centrepiece an iftar spread is built around.
It’s one of the roughly 20 recipes inside our Ramadan Cookbook, and we’re sharing this Kibbeh Bil Sanieh in full so you can taste the standard before you buy the book. The active work is modest; the oven does the transformation.
Why this recipe works
The tacky bulgur-and-lamb shell is pulsed with iced water so it presses smooth and bakes into a crisp mahogany crust, while a separate hashweh of coarse lamb, sweet onion and ghee-toasted pine nuts keeps the centre moist. Scoring the top before baking lets the edges caramelise and makes it portion cleanly.
Ingredients
Shell
- 180 g fine #1 brown bulgur
- 250 g lean lamb shoulder, twice-ground
- 1 small yellow onion, grated
- 3 g ground allspice
Filling & finishing
- 200 g coarsely ground lamb
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 30 g pine nuts
- 45 ml ghee, melted
Optional garnish
- A spoon of cool laban yoghurt with crushed mint
Serves 2 · Prep 40 min · Cook 35 min · 615 kcal per serving
Instructions
- Hydrate the shell. Rinse the bulgur under cold water until it runs clear, then soak in 200 ml cold water for 15 minutes. Drain and squeeze thoroughly in a clean cloth. Pulse with the twice-ground lamb, grated onion, allspice, 1 tsp salt, and 40 ml iced water in a food processor for 90 seconds until a tacky paste forms.
- Cook the hashweh. Toast the pine nuts in 15 ml ghee over medium heat until golden, then lift out. In the same pan, sweat the diced onion 4 minutes, add the coarse lamb and brown for 6 minutes, breaking it up. Season with 2 g allspice, 1 g cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Fold the pine nuts back in and cool 10 minutes.
- Layer and score. Brush a 22 cm round tray with ghee. Press half the shell paste into an even 1 cm layer using wet hands. Spread the cooled filling across the top, then cover with the remaining shell, smoothing with a wet palette knife. Score diamond patterns 5 mm deep and brush generously with the remaining ghee.
- Bake and rest. Bake at 200°C on the middle rack for 30 to 35 minutes until the surface is deep mahogany and the edges pull from the tray. Slide under the grill for 90 seconds for extra crust. Rest 8 minutes before cutting through the scored lines to serve.
Chef’s tip
Keep a bowl of iced water beside you when pressing the shell; a quick dip on your palms stops the paste from tearing and gives a glass-smooth top.
Get the full Ramadan Cookbook
Loved this one? It’s a single recipe from a collection of iftar and suhoor dishes built the same way — clear ingredients, exact timings, no guesswork. Grab the full Ramadan Cookbook below.
