Today I’m sharing Kibbeh Arnabieh, or Bulgur and Minced Meatballs in Tahini Citrus Sauce.
Not too long ago, I was sitting around a group of family members, many of whom I had just recently met, a byproduct of moving overseas in adulthood. Just like any Syrian gathering, the conversation moved seamlessly into food from childhood. They discussed traditional dishes and their origins, whether this dish or that dish came from Homs or Aleppo. One caught my attention: Kibbeh Arnabieh. Hailing from Homs (although sources on the Internet seem to differ), I loved the description of a bright, somewhat bitter and earthy tahini citrus sauce, especially since I had never come across anything like it.
I talked to my mother the next day: “Have you heard of kibbeh arnabieh?” “I don’t think so, hold on.” She shuffled through some papers before finding an old recipe, written on a scrap in Arabic. It appeared untouched. She told me she will try it out and report back.
She gave me pretty general instructions. “Sauté onions until golden, pureé and set aside. Combine 1 cup tahini, 2 cups orange, tangerine and lemon juice, 3 cups pomegranate juice and 3 cups water mixing constantly until boiling. Mix with a hand blender. Add 1 tsp sugar and salt” along with a video of the sauce consistency. It wasn’t until I sat down to actually try the recipe, that I realized that I didn’t know when to add the onions back in nor how long to boil the sauce for, but I figured that out on my own.
When I first tasted the sauce, it was like no other Syrian dish I had tried before. It was tangy, somewhat sweet, slightly bitter and balanced with earthy tahini. When eating it with kibbeh, every bite danced on my tongue, hitting every single taste bud.
For the longest time, I had no clue a citrus season existed. In Chicago IL, where I was born and raised, oranges, lemons, limes and mandarins always came from distant, much warmer lands, like Florida, California or the tropics. These places were so far away, with climate so different than ours, that I never really considered how their growing seasons were different. Nor had I really sat down to think about it.
Now, living in Dubai, the availability of produce isn’t much different. Most of it is imported from other countries, and there’s a variety of fruits and vegetables available all year long. Once I realized that oranges have their own season (and tasted the beauty of a Seville orange in February), I see now that winter citrus fruits are in true abundance, even in Dubai.
This dish traditionally uses bousfeir or bitter orange, which is also used to make bitter orange jam and distilled orange blossom water. Seville oranges can be used instead. Since they’re somewhat hard to find, we replicate the same flavor profile by combining Valencia or Navel oranges, mandarins, lemons and pomegranate juice. Some recipes use pomegranate molasses instead of the juice, but I prefer the latter in this case. Others use boiled chickpeas in the sauce, but I like it just the way it is. I also love to ground the dish even more by topping it with fried pine nuts.
I hope you give this recipe a try! If you do, put it in the comments on this page so everyone knows how it turned out. I also love to see your creations! Tag @omayah.atassi and #omayahcooks on Instagram!
Kibbeh Arnabieh (Kibbeh in Tahini Citrus Sauce)
One of the many kibbeh dishes of Syria, this one celebrates winter fruits with the use of orange, mandarin, lemon and pomegranate juices and earthy tahini. Kibbeh can be prepared in batches and frozen for later use. Once the kibbeh is ready, this comes together rather quickly.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 recipe of Stew Kibbeh
2 lbs onions
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 c tahini
2 c fresh-squeezed orange juice
2 c fresh-squeezed mandarin juice
2 c fresh-squeezed lemon juice
3 c pomegranate juice
3 c water
1 tsp sugar
1/2-1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/4 c toasted or fried pine nuts (optional)
Instructions:
Take about 4 servings of lightly baked kibbeh balls, as per the recipe. Freeze the rest in a zip-top bag.
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, cook the onions and olive oil over medium-medium-high heat until lightly caramelized, about 15 minutes. Puree with a hand blender and set aside.
In a medium bowl, add the tahini and gradually stir in the water until fully combined. Add to the same pot the onions were in and add all the fruit juices over high heat. Stir constantly and allow to boil for about 2 minutes. Go through with a hand blender until smooth. Add the onions, sugar and salt.
Add the kibbeh and cook until heated through, about another 2 minutes.
Adjust seasoning and serve immediately with vermicelli rice or regular rice. Top with pine nuts, if using.
Can be made up to 1 day ahead. Store the kibbeh separately from the sauce and add the kibbeh just before serving.
