Kubba Hamouth — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Plump bulgur dumplings stuffed with spiced lamb, simmered in a tangy tomato and dried lime broth. This sour soup is one of Iraq's most distinctive and satisfying one-pot meals.

Ingredients

2 cups fine bulgur wheat
250g lean ground lamb for shell
1 tsp salt
For filling: 250g ground lamb
1 onion, finely diced
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tsp baharat
Salt and pepper
For broth: 6 cups water
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 dried limes (loomi), pierced
1 cup chopped Swiss chard
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste

Instructions

1 Make the kubba shell by processing soaked and drained bulgur with lean ground lamb, salt, and a splash of water until smooth. Chill for 20 minutes.
2 Prepare filling: brown ground lamb with onion, add baharat, salt, pepper, and pine nuts. Cool completely before stuffing.
3 Form kubba: take a walnut-sized ball of shell dough, hollow it out, fill with a teaspoon of meat filling, and seal into an oval shape.
4 Make the broth: bring water to a boil with tomato paste, turmeric, dried limes, and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.
5 Gently lower the kubba dumplings into the simmering broth. Add Swiss chard. Cook uncovered for 25-30 minutes.
6 Squeeze in lemon juice just before serving to brighten the sour broth. Serve hot in deep bowls with flatbread.

Did You Know?

The sourness of kubba hamouth comes from the combination of dried lime and fresh lemon — Iraqi cooks layer sour flavors like composers layer musical notes.