Kubbeh soup
Photo: HaJunkiyada · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Kubbeh has roots in ancient Mesopotamian cooking, its name possibly tracing to the Akkadian kubbu, and Iraqi Jewish communities refined their own stuffed-dumpling versions over centuries. When most of Iraq's Jews left for Israel in the early 1950s, they brought kubbeh with them, and it became a fixture of Israeli home cooking, served fried or simmered in soup depending on the family. Levinsky 53, run by Dalit and Avi on Levinsky Street beside the market, cooks kubbeh hamusta, a sour chard-based version, and the classic fried kibbeh in a room that feels like a grandmother's kitchen.

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Common allergens: Gluten

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 1 hrTotal 2 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 200g fine semolina
  • 100g plain flour
  • Water, as needed, for the dough
  • 300g minced beef
  • 1 onion, grated, for the filling
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and leaves shredded
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice, or more to taste
  • 1.5 litres beef or vegetable stock
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste

Method

  1. Mix semolina and flour with enough water to form a soft, pliable dough. Rest 20 minutes under a damp cloth.
  2. Cook the minced beef with the grated onion, allspice, salt and pepper in a dry pan until just browned, then cool.
  3. Roll small balls of dough into thin discs, spoon in a little meat filling and pinch closed into a dumpling.
  4. Bring the stock to a simmer with the tomato paste and shredded chard. Add the lemon juice and taste for a bright, sour edge.
  5. Slide the dumplings into the simmering broth and cook 20 minutes until they float and the dough turns tender. Serve hot in deep bowls.

Tip from the editors. Seal the dumplings firmly at the pinch point; a loose seam lets the filling spill out into the broth as it cooks.

Where to eat kubbeh soup

Kubbeh soup in Tel Aviv

Levinsky 53 ★ 3.7

$ Middle EasternFlorentin

Levinsky 53 is Dalit and Avi's kubbeh bar in Tel Aviv, simmering Iraqi kubbeh soups and frying kibbeh in a room that feels like a grandmother's kitchen.

OrderA bowl of kubbeh hamusta with lemony chard, or the classic fried kibbeh with minced meat.

TipDaytime only, closing at 17:00 Sunday to Thursday; the kosher certified kitchen shuts for Shabbat on Friday evening.

Directions

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