Pumpkin Kibbeh with Yogurt

Ingredients

• Dough:
• 1 kg pumpkin or squash
• 1 kg fine brown bulgur
• 5 tablespoons flour (or more as needed for binding)
• Salt
• Kibbeh spice mix (kammuna) or kibbeh seasoning
• Cumin
• 1 cup small sweet red peppers, finely chopped
• Cold water
• Filling:
• 1 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 cup chopped leek
• 1 cup carrots (chopped)
• 1 cup corn
• 1 cup small sweet red peppers
• Olive oil
• Sumac
• Dried pomegranate (known as Iranian zerkech) — seedless, tart
• Yogurt sauce:
• 1 kg plain yogurt
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• A little water
• Garlic — optional
• A bunch of fresh cilantro
• Pine nuts for garnish
• Filling preparation:
• Here is Amal’s recipe for meat kebab as well

Method

1. Begin by boiling the peeled pumpkin, cut into large cubes, in a little water.
2. After the pumpkin is cooked, drain it well and reserve the pumpkin cooking water for later use.
3. Rinse the fine bulgur with cold water, drain it, and set it aside to allow the grains to swell.
4. After the time has passed, rub the bulgur with your hands and mix it with the drained pumpkin, kibbeh spice, salt, ground cumin, and finely chopped sweet red pepper. Mix by hand or with an electric mixer until the mixture is uniform and smooth.
5. Knead the mixture well and add enough flour for the dough to hold together. The dough is ready when you can form a circle and it does not stick to the palm of your hand.
6. Have a glass of cold water ready and begin shaping the dough into medium, evenly sized rounds. Dip the palm of your hand in the cold water whenever the dough becomes dry or sticks to your hand.
7. Make a hollow in each round, then fill the cavity with a small amount of the prepared filling and close the pumpkin kibbeh discs just as you would shape meat kibbeh.
8. Arrange the discs on a wide tray and place them in the freezer until firm for later use, or fry them immediately.
9. Fry the discs in plenty of hot oil just before serving.
10. Prepare the yogurt: put the cow's yogurt in a saucepan over the heat.
11. Dissolve the cornstarch in a little cold water, strain it into the yogurt and stir well with a whisk; do not add salt at this stage so the yogurt will not split.
12. Place the yogurt in the pot on the stove and stir continuously over low heat until the yogurt thickens.
13. Finally, when the yogurt has thickened, add the crushed garlic and salt, stir, and remove from the heat.
14. Pour the yogurt immediately into the serving dish over the fried pumpkin kibbeh discs.
15. Garnish the pumpkin kibbeh with yogurt with finely chopped fresh cilantro and pine nuts toasted in a little oil.
16. Dice the red onion, red sweet pepper, carrot, and leek into small cubes and sauté them in a little olive oil until the vegetables wilt.
17. Add the corn and salt, then the dried pomegranate seeds and sumac, turn off the heat and set the mixture aside to cool before using.
18. Amal Khudr
19. Here is Amal's recipe for meat kebab as well.