
Kebbeh Arnabieh
Boulettes de kebbeh farcies, mijotées dans un bouillon crémeux au tahini et citron avec des pois chiches.
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Make the shell dough
Rinse the bulgur in a few changes of cold water, then squeeze it dry with your hands. Put it in a food processor with the finely ground meat, grated onion, allspice, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Pulse, adding ice water a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture becomes a smooth, slightly sticky paste that holds together rather than crumbling. Cover and chill for 30 minutes while you make the filling.
- 300 g fine bulgur
- 350 g ground beef or lamb
- 1 small grated onion
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- as needed ice water
✅ C'est prêt quand : the mixture is smooth, deep reddish-brown and holds together like a soft, pliable paste, not grainy

Cook the filling
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the chopped onion and cook until soft. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink and fully cooked through. Stir in the pine nuts, allspice, cinnamon, salt and pepper and cook 2 more minutes until the nuts turn golden. Spread the filling on a plate and let it cool completely, as warm filling will make the shells fall apart when you shape them.
- 1 tbsp butter or ghee
- 1 small chopped onion
- 150 g ground meat
- 50 g pine nuts or walnuts
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- to taste salt and pepper
✅ C'est prêt quand : the meat is fully cooked through, the nuts are golden, and the filling is cool to the touch
Shape the dumplings
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Simmer the dumplings
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Make the tahini sauce
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Simmer with chickpeas
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Garnish and serve
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Make the shell dough
Rinse the bulgur in a few changes of cold water, then squeeze it dry with your hands. Put it in a food processor with the finely ground meat, grated onion, allspice, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Pulse, adding ice water a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture becomes a smooth, slightly sticky paste that holds together rather than crumbling. Cover and chill for 30 minutes while you make the filling.
- 300 g fine bulgur
- 350 g ground beef or lamb
- 1 small grated onion
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- as needed ice water
✅ C'est prêt quand : the mixture is smooth, deep reddish-brown and holds together like a soft, pliable paste, not grainy

Cook the filling
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the chopped onion and cook until soft. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink and fully cooked through. Stir in the pine nuts, allspice, cinnamon, salt and pepper and cook 2 more minutes until the nuts turn golden. Spread the filling on a plate and let it cool completely, as warm filling will make the shells fall apart when you shape them.
- 1 tbsp butter or ghee
- 1 small chopped onion
- 150 g ground meat
- 50 g pine nuts or walnuts
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- to taste salt and pepper
✅ C'est prêt quand : the meat is fully cooked through, the nuts are golden, and the filling is cool to the touch
Shape the dumplings
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Simmer the dumplings
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Make the tahini sauce
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Simmer with chickpeas
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Garnish and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Saida has long been famous across Lebanon for its many kibbeh variations, each cooked a different way rather than fried. Kebbeh Arnabieh is one of the city's most prized versions, made by simmering small stuffed bulgur dumplings in a tangy tahini and lemon broth until the dumplings turn tender and the sauce turns creamy.
Families in Saida often reserve this dish for special occasions and gatherings, since shaping the delicate dumplings by hand takes patience and practice. Recipes are usually taught hands-on, passed from mothers and grandmothers to the next generation rather than written down.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It stands out among kibbeh dishes for being neither fried nor baked, but gently poached in a creamy, tart tahini sauce, giving it a softer texture and a tangier flavour than most other kibbeh.
💡 Fun Fact
Saida is sometimes called the city of a hundred kibbeh, because its cooks are known for turning the same bulgur-and-meat dough into so many different dishes.
Kebbeh Arnabieh comes from Saida, a historic coastal city in southern Lebanon known for its rich culinary tradition and its many distinctive kibbeh dishes.
33.56°N, 35.38°E
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