Tomato kibbeh is a bold and flavorful appetizer or side dish made with fresh and pantry ingredients that require no cooking.
Tomato kibbeh is truly amazing.
This dish is popular in the South of Lebanon, where people take pride in it and are happy to share their recipes (which differ between villages and families) with others across the country, as many are not aware of this tasty rustic looking dish.
In Arabic, it’s called kamounet banadoura. It is another showcase of how vegan dishes have always been incorporated into the Lebanese diet.
What’s interesting to me is that there are other variations of this dish in other countries, such as the Armenian eech or Turkish Kisir.
Similar to potato kibbeh, this recipe is served cold, but it’s easier to prepare since there is no cooking involved. Gosh I really love that dish!
This is unlike my baked vegetarian kibbeh in a tray, or fried pumpkin kibbeh balls which do require a bit of a process but is well worth it.
Tomatoes and bulgur are a popular combination in Mediterranean / Middle Eastern food, this pilaf with tomato and bulgur is another delicious example.
Key Ingredients
The complete list of ingredients with measurements, can be found in the full recipe card below.
When it came to taking photos for this vegan tomato kibbeh recipe, I noticed that I had run out of bulgur. Upon inspecting the bulgur sold in my local large-chain supermarket, I realized that it wasn't the type I needed, nor was it great quality.
The grains were mismatched in size. I mention this because the size matters (aha, aha). The ideal type of bulgur is fine dark brown bulgur. It must be fine otherwise the texture of this dish will be wrong.
Light-colored burghul can be used, but generally speaking, the dark-colored one looks best. I always get mine from a local Middle Eastern grocer, but if you can't get to one, you can find this burghul here.
The fine bulgur is hydrated by the moisture from blended fresh red bell pepper, pulsed ripe tomato, and tomato paste, which also serve as a binder.
The flavorings are the fun part and completely customizable. I use a combination of fresh long chili; however, you can use chili powder, dried chili, and in the quantities you like, with fresh mint leaves, fresh scallion, dried rose petals (if you can't get this leave it out, I've linked in the recipe card below where to get them from), baharat (a combination of spices).
Or you could just use 1 - 1.5 teaspoons of kamouneh spice, which is made for this type of dish. I didn't have any at the time of publishing this recipe.
Now, while the actual mixture for this recipe doesn't contain any oil and you can eat it that way, it is crucial to the overall flavor to use the best quality extra virgin olive oil to finish this dish off (some folk will add in olive oil into the actual mixture). It lifts the entire flavor profile.
The Steps
I'll take you through the steps for how to make tomato kibbeh, it's fairly straightforward, you'll want to pay attention to the blending which I do in two stages, so I recommend watching the video too.
Deseed and roughly chop the red bell pepper.
If using chili, chop it as well, keeping the seeds for heat, or not.
Quarter the tomatoes and thinly slice the scallions, separating the dark and light green parts.
Crush the dried rose buds so the petals are separated.
In a food processor, add the bell pepper, chili, mint leaves, and rose petals. Pulse until mostly pureed with small chunks.
Add the tomato chunks, spices, and tomato paste to the food processor with the pureed bell pepper.
Pulse until the tomatoes resemble small chunks, being careful not to overblend - avoid it being pureed.
Transfer the tomato and bell pepper mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Add the fine dark bulgur, green parts of the scallion, and combine everything evenly using your hands.
Adjust the salt to taste and cover the bowl with cling wrap.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the bulgur to hydrate.
After 30 minutes, spread the tomato kibbeh onto a plate (the plate I generally used is 22½cm / 9" in diameter and 2½cm / 1" deep), make indentations on the surface, and sprinkle the remaining scallions on top.
Drizzle a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil, allowing it to pool in the indentations.
Enjoy the dish cold by scooping it with pita bread or in lettuce cups.
Janelle's Tips
When the tomato kibbeh is first mixed together it will feel wet, upon letting the mixture rest for 30 minutes, you will find the buglur has soaked up all the juices and the kibbeh is holding together well. Furthermore, once the olive oil is added as a topper, it will seep through helping it further.
Storage
Tomato kibbeh stores well in the fridge for up to a week. Keep it in an airtight container.
Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ star rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.
Recipe
Tomato Kibbeh
Ingredients
- 320 grams Red Bell Pepper
- 1 small Chili or to your taste
- 2 sprigs Scallions green onion
- 390 grams Ripe tomatoes
- 5 small Dried rose buds optional
- 10 large Mint leaves
- 2 tablespoon Tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon Lebanese 7 spice or substitute with all spice
- ¼ teaspoon Ground sweet paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Ground black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon Salt or to taste
- 1 cup Fine brown bulgur
- 1 glug Olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- Start by deseeding and roughly chopping the red bell pepper. If using chili, chop it as well, keeping the seeds for heat if desired.Quarter the tomatoes and thinly slice the scallions, separating the green and white parts. Crush the dried rose buds so the petals are separated.
- Using a food processor, combine the bell pepper, chili (if using), mint leaves, all the spices, salt and rose petals. Pulse until mostly pureed with small chunks. Add the tomato chunks, green parts of the scallion, spices, and tomato paste to the food processor with the pureed bell pepper. Pulse until the tomatoes resemble small chunks, being careful not to overblend.
- Transfer the tomato and bell pepper mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the fine dark bulgur and combine everything evenly using your hands. Adjust the salt to taste and cover the bowl with cling wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the bulgur to hydrate.
- After 30 minutes, spread the tomato kibbeh onto a plate, make indentations on the surface, and sprinkle the remaining scallions on top. Drizzle a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil, allowing it to pool in the indentations. Enjoy the dish cold by scooping it with pita bread or in lettuce cups.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.
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