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Butternut or Pumpkin Kebbeh (Butternut or Pumpkin Purée with Bulgur wheat)

2021-01-20
  • Servings: 6

This is a vegan and vegetarian recipe par excellence! It’s delicious and nutritious!
There are many other varieties of kebbeh in Lebanon. I have already posted another vegan/vegetarian kebbeh on my website, the potato kebbeh. And I have also posted the meat kebbeh, for meat eaters.

This butternut/pumpkin kebbeh can be cooked either in the oven (this recipe) or made into balls that are stuffed then fried.

The stuffings for both are also diverse. You can choose any of these stuffings:
1) onions, walnut, pomegranate molasse and spices
2) onions, Swiss chard or spinach, sumac and/or pomegranate molasse, and spices
3) onions, any green, chickpeas, pomegranate molasse and/or sumac, and spices

You can also do your own stuffing by choosing the ingredients you like from these 3 mentioned stuffings.

P.S: burghul or bulgur you buy is cracked wheat that has been parboiled then dried. So, usually, you have to soak it in water before use, except in this particular recipe. Mashed squash is wet enough to tenderise it so no need for soaking.

Ingredients

  • For the kebbeh dough: About 3 cups of Butternut squash or Pumpkin purée obtained by boiling or steaming pieces of squash then draining and mashing
  • About 2 cups of fine and dry bulgur
  • 1/4 cup of flour or more
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp of allspice + 1 tsp of black pepper + a pinch of cayenne pepper
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil to spread on the baking dish
  • For the filling : 1 large onion, finely chopped and rubbed with 1/2 tsp of allspice
  • 1 cup of cooked chickpeas
  • 1 cup of cooked spinach or leaves of Swiss chard
  • 1/2 cup of walnuts, roughly chopped
  • Sumac ( at least 1 tbsp) or lemon juice, to taste
  • 1 or 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Optional: pomegranate molasses

Method

Step 1

Start by mixing the dry bulgur with the mashed squash then put it aside until the bulgur has been tenderised by absorbing the liquid present in the purée. It might take about 20 to 30 minutes.

Step 2

Now add to the mixture of squash and bulgur the flour, the finely chopped onions, the spices and salt. Mix everything to combine and knead with your hands until it forms a uniform kind of dough that holds if formed into a ball. Taste and adjust if needed. Keep in the fridge while preparing the stuffing.

Step 3

Mix together all the stuffing ingredients making sure they are free of any liquid. The cooked spinach must be squeezed. Taste and adjust if needed. Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Step 4

Remove the dough from the fridge and divide it in 2 parts. Grease an adequate baking dish with olive oil. Spread evenly the 1st part of the dough inside the baking dish then add on top all the stuffing, spreading it evenly. Finally cover the stuffing with the 2nd part of the dough by spreading it evenly. All the surface must be covered. Take a a sharp tipped knife and “draw” on the dough squares or rectangles or losanges; as decoration and this also will help to have equal parts for serving. Drizzle olive oil all over then bake for 30/35 minutes or until it is cooked and nicely coloured.

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