Pumpkin (Squash) Kibbeh

Ingredients

• 1 kg pumpkin, peeled and cut into cubes
• 2 cups fine white bulgur
• 1/2 cup coarse semolina
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tsp saffron yellow food coloring
• Filling:
• Olive oil
• 5 onions, cut into wedges
• 1 kg spinach or chard, roughly chopped and lightly cooked, then well drained
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tbsp sumac
• 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 1 tsp crushed red chili flakes
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp dried coriander
• Vegetable oil for frying the kibbeh
• Salt to taste
• Recipe for authentic pumpkin kibbeh from a friend and cook at Shou Tabkhin Today:
• Rina Abdullah
• Click Rina’s name to visit her profile on our site and see all her tasty recipes
• For more of Rina’s excellent traditional recipes, try these meat kibbeh patties: Grilled Kibbeh

Method

1. Boil the pumpkin and let it cook until tender, then drain it well.
2. Mash it with a spoon while still hot, then add the bulgur without rinsing; the pumpkin or squash must be hot.
3. Add semolina, flour, salt and saffron yolk and knead to obtain a cohesive kibbeh dough.
4. In a skillet, heat olive oil with the onion and cover the pan; leave the onion until it softens, then add chard or spinach and sauté, then add the chickpeas, spices, sumac, walnuts and pomegranate molasses and stir until the filling is ready.
5. Let the filling cool slightly, then start forming the disks.
6. Roll the pumpkin kibbeh dough into small balls, shape each one, fill and seal it; using the tip of a knife, score the disks to resemble a pumpkin by making longitudinal lines with light pressure to create a slight curve - see photo.
7. Deep-fry the pumpkin or squash kibbeh in plenty of hot oil until golden and serve.
8. Rina Abdullah
9. For more of Rina's excellent traditional recipes, here are the meat kibbeh disks: How to make grilled kibbeh