Kubba bi raz u patata

Tastes like home.

“Nothing represents Jewish-Iraqi cuisine more than kubba (also known as kibbeh). Kibbeh is easy to find all across the Levant in endless variations, the most common probably being Syrian fried kibbeh from Aleppo, with its shell of cracked bulgur wheat and a filling of lamb and pine nuts.“

Shuki Rosenboim says…

Nothing represents Jewish-Iraqi cuisine more than kubba (also known as kibbeh). Kibbeh is easy to find all across the Levant in endless variations, the most common probably being Syrian fried kibbeh from Aleppo, with its shell of cracked bulgur wheat and a filling of lamb and pine nuts.

The version I grew up with, however, is very different. My mum would make the shell out of semolina, and, instead of being fried, the kibbeh (or kubba) would be poached like dumplings in a soup. The soup changed seasonally, with fresh garlic and mint in spring, sweet and sour tomato and okra in summer, pumpkin and sultanas in autumn and beetroot in winter. This was all well and good until Pesach (Passover) came along, and every year for one week we were not allowed to eat flour – including semolina and bulgur…

Well, no one was gonna give up kubba for a week. The solution was kubba bi raz (rice kibbeh), kubba patata (potato kibbeh) or a mixture of the two like the one here. This kubba is shaped like a torpedo and fried like the kibbeh from Aleppo. It’s this mishmash, thinking-outside-the-box (or kubba shell) approach that enables us to enjoy kubba all year round!

This dish is served alongside amba, a beloved Iraqi condiment made from fermented mango. Amba originated in the 17th and 18th centuries, when Iraq was under Ottoman rule and so much of the Jewish community, especially traders, decided to flee to India until better times returned. There, they were exposed to mango chutney, and they were blown away. They quickly learned the art of making this condiment and, with their own tweaks and adjustments, created amba. Coming back to Iraq years later, amba was welcomed with open arms.

These days, no Iraqi can imagine eating falafel or shawarma without it. At our shop, it is very easy to identify our Iraqi customers as they always ask for extra, extra, extra amba. We totally understand. It is Iraqi umami, and we absolutely love it!

Ingredients

Serves 20

100g pine nuts
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
350g button mushrooms, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 sprig of thyme
1 teaspoon baharat spice mix
sea salt flakes
½ bunch of parsley, chopped
400g (2 cups) basmati rice, soaked in cold water for 1 hour
2 small potatoes, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Tahini sauce, amba (fermented green mango condiment) and pickles, to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan forced. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add the pine nuts and cook, tossing frequently, for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant and golden. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 10 minutes or until lightly golden, then add the mushroom, garlic, thyme and baharat spice mix. Season with salt and cook, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the pine nuts and parsley.

Drain the rice and place in a large saucepan with the potato, turmeric and a good pinch of salt. Pour in enough water to cover the rice and potato by about 4cm, then bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to very low, cover with a lid and cook for about 30 minutes (adding a little more water if the rice starts to stick) or until the water evaporates and the rice is completely soft and broken down. Stir occasionally to avoid the rice sticking and burning on the base of the pan. Remove from the heat and stir through black pepper, to taste.

Using a potato masher, mash the rice and potato until combined and the mixture resembles a dough. Divide the dough into 20 balls somewhere between the size of a ping pong ball and a tennis ball. Using your fingers, flatten each ball into a circle in the palm of one hand, then stuff with a tablespoon of the mushroom mixture. Close the dough around the filling and roll it into a torpedo-like shape.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan or deep fryer to 180°C or until a small piece of kubba dropped into the oil sizzles. Working in batches, fry the kubba for 3-4 minutes, until crispy and golden. Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

Serve the kubba with tahini sauce, amba and pickles on the side.

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Published in ed#760

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