Shared by Annabel Rabiyah
Shared by Annabel Rabiyah
Iraqi Dumpling Soup With Green Beans
Yield: 4 servingsTime: 1 h 30 min
Iraqi Dumpling Soup With Green Beans
Yield: 4 servingsTime: 1 h 30 minFamily Journey
Baghdad, IraqNew YorkNewton, Massachusetts
Boston
Ever since Annabel Rabiyah was little, she’s helped her father prepare kubbeh, an Iraqi dumpling soup. There are different variations of the soup — tinged pink with beets, made green with okra or green beans, or sour with the addition of lemon to the broth. This rendition features green beans and dried limes and lemon juice, which add a tang.
This recipe was shared by Annabel Rabiyah. Read more about her family in "This Cook Honors Her Father’s Iraqi-Jewish Heritage in the Kitchen" and try her recipe for ingriye (roasted eggplant with tomatoes and beef).
Ingredients
For the kubbeh
- ½ pound ground beef or lamb (vegan: substitute minced sauteed mushrooms)
- ½ medium onion, finely dice
- ¼ cup loose packed parsley, finely chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoon + 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground dried lime
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups semolina or ¾ cup each of semolina and farina
For the fasoulia stew
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 cups broth of choice
- ½ pound fasoulia (green beans), trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 whole dried limes, washed and pierced all over with a fork
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Juice of ½ lemon
Preparation
Step 1
Make the kubbeh: In a medium bowl, mix the ground meat, onion, parsley, 1 ½ tablespoons salt, dried lime, and pepper until fully incorporated.
Step 2
In a separate bowl, mix the semolina, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon of the meat filling. Add ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons of water until the dough forms a ball and can be molded easily, and knead for 1-2 minutes.
Step 3
To shape the kubbeh, flatten a small circle of dough in your palm, about 1 heaping tablespoon, as thin as possible while still workable. Cover the unused dough with plastic wrap or a damp cloth to prevent it drying out. Scoop a heaping teaspoon of the meat mixture into the center of the dough, and wrap the dough around the filling, forming a ball. Make sure it is well sealed, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling until you have 16 kubbeh.
Step 4
Make the stew: In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and salt, and saute until they soften, about 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir frequently, until it darkens to a dark brick color. Add the green beans, stirring to incorporate, then add the broth and dried limes.
Step 5
Gently add the kubbeh to the broth, making sure they are fully covered. Add more broth if needed. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes, until the kubbeh are fully cooked. Try not to stir the broth at all for at least the first 5 minutes so the kubbeh don’t break apart.
Step 6
After the kubbeh has finished cooking, burst the dried limes by pushing them against the wall of the pot with a spoon. Add the lemon juice, mix, and serve hot.
