Kfarat Kbab
by Hanan Smadi from Jordan - November 2015
Since it is olive picking season, I've decided to go with a recipe that is famous among the tribes of Kfarat villages of Jordan, an area that is famous for its pure and richly flavoured & colored olive oil.
This easy and quick recipe is considered healthy due to the process of steaming the kbab rather than frying them. It became very popular among the Kfarat villages to the extent of being referred to as the "dynamite" recipe!
Measuring its ingredients is volumetric; meaning that each cup of minced meat needs around 1 cup (or less) of bulgur, 1 onion and some water and olive oil.
Ingredients: 
- 2 cups(700 gm) minced veal meat (fat free) 
- 1 chicken breast , boneless and finely minced 
- 2 ½ cups fine bulgur (dry, NOT presoaked)
- 2-3 medium onions, finely minced using a food processor with a little bit of water 
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 
- 1/4 cup water for mixing the dough, salt & pepper 
-2 tsp ground cumin 
-5 tsp ground anise 
- 1 tsp allspice (I personally add a pinch of ground cardamom and ground ginger only) 
- Salted warm water to cook kebabs
Directions: 
- Mince onions in food processor with a little bit of water in to guarantee finesse.
- Combine minced meat and minced chicken in a bowl and mix very well, add bulgur then minced onions and continue mixing. You can use a kneading machine for a faster result in this step, but the traditional way is to knead by hand. Add spices, salt and pepper while kneading. 
- Add a little bit of warm of water gradually, one spoon at a time, until you get a well combined dough that can be easily shaped. Stop adding water once you get it.
- Add olive oil (keep some aside till later) and continue mixing. 
- In a deep cooking pot, preferably Tefal or thick based stainless steel, add the remaining olive oil.
- Rub your hands with some oil and start forming the kbabs into thick flat patties, hand palm size, place them at the bottom of the pot. 
- Form the remaining dough into oval fingers, the traditional Kebbeh shape but in a smaller diameter, and place them as a second layer in the pot.
- Place the pot over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until you hear the sizzling of oil.
- Add salted warm water gently covering the bottom layer only.
- When it starts boiling, lower the heat, cover the pot and let it cook for 30-45 minutes or until water dries out. 
- When you hear the sizzling sound and smell the kbab, turn off heat. Make sure to monitor the drying out process.
- Wait a few minutes then flip the pot upside down into a serving plate.
- Serve alongside yogurt and salad
Bon appetite
#Kfarat_Kbab #ArabicFlavour