1389. Pomegranate Glazed Kubba

Long, long ago, I mentioned the fable of the thousand types of kubba on MCW. I don't think I can realistically cover all one thousand (and I truly believe there may be even more than that), but with kubba being one of my irresistible weaknesses ever, I do plan to tackle a fair scope of them. This is a two-stage dish: make the kubba and fry them (which renders them delicious as is), them make the sauce and glaze them just before serving.
The flavor profile is distinctly Levant, but it is the Lebanese who perfectly coined the amazing concoction of sauteeing garlic, fresh coriander, and pomegranate molasses together into a glaze. See my chicken wings with the same idea; it is not to be missed.

Ingredients:

For the express kubba:
1 cup fine burghul
1 cup semolina
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
2 cups hot water
250g minced meat
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp loomi powder
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp allspice powder

For the sauce:
3 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 cup coriander, chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup water
1 cup pomegranate molasses
1 Tbsp sweet pepper paste
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper



Method:

To make the kubba, mix in a bowl the fine burghul, semolina, salt, and cumin. Add the boiling water, stir, cover with a plate and let sit 20 minutes. Knead in a food processor to render it into a dough.
Meanwhile, cook the filling: saute the minced meat, chopped onion, loomi powder, salt, pepper, and allspice powder. Cook until the meat is cooked through and onion has softened. Let cool before filling.
To shape the kubba, take ping pong sized balls of the dough and proceed to fill and shape into a dough. It is best to freeze the kubbas and fry the next day.
Next day, deep fry 16 of the prepared kubba until golden throughout. Set aside.
To make the sauce, saute the garlic and fresh coriander with the olive oil in a pan. Add the water, pomegranate molasses and sweet pepper paste. Bring to a simmer and add the lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer until reduced to a loose glaze, then add the fried kubba and swirl to coat in the glaze. Serve immediately sprinkled with fresh pomegranate seeds.

صحة و عافية