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    Home » Recipes » Frakeh (raw kibbeh)

    Frakeh (raw kibbeh)

    Lebanese people love raw kibbeh so much they have made several versions of it. Frakeh is traditionally shaped by hand into little ridged croquettes.

    Traditionally, raw kibbeh was made using a large stone mortar with which the meat was continuously pounded to a fine consistency.

    Rarely anyone makes it that way anymore, so make sure you find a good butcher to do the hard work for you.

    Frakeh is often served in feasts on a charcuterie board with lots of fresh onion, radish, herbs and chilli.

    Frakeh
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Variations
    • Storage
    • 📖 Recipe
    • FAQ

    Ingredients

    The ingredients are not many in number but have to be of the highest quality. Especially the meat, there can be no compromise on this. You will need:

    • Raw meat - lamb or veal- trimmed of all visible fat
    • Kamouneh - a herb and spice mix with fine bulgur wheat, onion and chilli
    • Fine bulgur wheat - this can be found in your local Middle Eastern store or online
    • Good extra virgin olive oil
    Making frakeh

    The meat is made from lean lamb or veal, trimmed of all fat. I usually buy fillet of lamb which is the most expensive section making this a very indulgent dish.

    Ask your butcher to run it through the fine grinder several times. This means you won't have to redo it in the food processor again at home.

    I already have a recipe for kamouneh mix, and have simplified it slightly for this recipe. I also have another recipe for kamouneh spice blend which you also need for the recipe.

    Instructions

    You have to work quickly with raw kibbeh as you don't want it out in the sunlight too long.

    Prepare all the ingredients for the kamouneh mix first, by chopping the onion, red pepper and green chilli and herbs.

    Then rinse the fine bulgur wheat and drain well in a fine sieve. Add the spices and chopped vegetables to make a coarse kamouneh mix.

    raw meat

    Ask you butcher to finely grind a lean cut of lamb several times

    coarse kamouneh mix

    Make a coarse kamouneh mix

    how to make frakeh

    Combine the meat and kamouneh well using your hands

    frakeh croquettes

    Shape into ridged croquettes

    Once you combine the ingredients together, shape the frakeh by making a small croquette in your hand and then gently squeezing so as to make ridges with your fingers.

    Variations

    In addition to frakeh, there is kibbeh nayeh, melsen and raw kafta, which have different ratios of spices, bulgur wheat and herbs in them.

    • Kibbeh Nayeh - This usually has slightly less bulgur wheat than frakeh.
    • Melsen - This has very little or no bulgur wheat.
    • Raw Kafta - This has parsley, onion and no bulgur wheat.

    For a real dinner party moment, you can serve a selection of these raw kibbehs on a board with some fresh vegetables and herbs.

    Storage

    The frakeh should be eaten immediately upon serving. Any remainders should be refrigerated or frozen.

    You can fry remaining frakeh for a quick spicy kibbeh.

    Lebanese frakeh

    📖 Recipe

    5 from 2 votes
    Print

    Frakeh (Raw Kibbeh)

    Raw meat kibbeh croquettes with herbs, spices, onion and chilli

    Course Appetizer, Main Course, Snack
    Cuisine Lebanese
    Keyword Brunch, Dinner Party, Fresh
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Servings 4
    Author Zaatar and Zaytoun

    Ingredients

    • 500 g finely ground lean lamb trimmed of all fat
    • 1 cup fine bulgur wheat
    • ½ small onion finely chopped
    • ¼ red bell pepper finely chopped
    • ½ green chilli finely chopped

    Herbs

    • 5-10 leaves fresh mint chopped
    • ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
    • 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
    • 1 teaspoon dried mint

    Spices

    • 1 tablespoon kamouneh spices
    • 1 teaspoon 7 spice
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

    Instructions

    1. In a fine sieve, rinse the bulgur wheat and drain well. Add the spices, salt, chopped green chilli, red pepper, onion and herbs.

    2. In a wide bowl, combine the finely ground meat and ¾ of the kamouneh mix using your hands

    3. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and continue to combine until you have smooth ball
    4. Dip your fingers in a little extra virgin olive oil and make a little croquette that fits snugly into your palm, gently squeeze to make ridges
    5. Arrange the croquettes onto a platter and serve with the remainder kamouneh mix, another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and fresh onions, radishes and herbs.

    Recipe Video

    Recipe Notes

    If you do't have kamouneh spices, substitute for ¼ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.

    FAQ

    Is it safe to eat raw meat?

    This definitely depends on the quality of the meat. Ask your butcher for extremely fresh cut of meat and make sure it is well refrigerated until you are ready to use. Try not to use any meat older than 1-2 days.

    Can I use coarse bulgur wheat?

    Though it won't impact the flavour too much, coarse bulgur wheat fluffs up too much when it absorbs moisture and the frakeh won't hold together as well.

    What can I substitute kamouneh spices with?

    If you do't have kamouneh spices, substitute it for for ¼ teaspoon cumin + ¼ teaspoon black pepper + ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.

    If you make any of our recipes let us know how it went by giving us a star rating below.

    We have a lively Facebook group where we post frequent recipes and discuss Lebanese cooking in general, as well as a tiktok page. 

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Adnan

      October 03, 2022 at 7:12 pm

      5 stars
      My baba’s all time favourite, nothing can beat it

    2. Ahmad

      October 08, 2022 at 2:26 pm

      5 stars
      I love this so much it reminds me of south Lebanon

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    Ahlen I'm Yosra, a Lebanon born - London based foodie. Welcome to my kitchen.

    Here you'll find recipes collected from my Lebanese Mama (pictured), some regional classics and some secret family recipes.

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