Kubbeh Kotla Hamin

Kubbeh Kotla Hamin

Kotla is a large, flat kubbeh made to withstand long cooking, not a delicate semolina kubbeh forgotten on the stove. The recipe here is a home adaptation of a Jewish-Kurdish hamin (the slow-cooked Shabbat stew): the shape of the kubbeh is based on documented kotla, while the bed of chickpeas and onion is a family variation stated separately.

Prep: 75 minutes · Cooking: 12.5–14.5 hours · Yield: 16 kubbeh, 8 servings · Difficulty: challenging

Kubbeh built for a whole night

Kotla is large, flat and has a bulgur-semolina shell thicker than soup kubbeh. This structure lets it absorb liquid for hours without disappearing into the pot. The chickpeas and onion form a thick hamin around the kubbeh, so start with a generous amount of water but don’t turn the pot into soup. The pot must come to a boil before moving to the low oven.

Ingredients

• 500 grams fine bulgur, 300 grams semolina, 450–550 ml water and 2 teaspoons salt
• 800 grams ground beef, 3 onions, baharat and pepper
• 300 grams dried chickpeas, soaked, 3 sliced onions
• 4 tablespoons oil, 2.5 liters water, paprika, salt and dried mint

Choosing ingredients and substitutes

The chickpeas must be soaked. The bulgur-semolina shell is thick on purpose; ordinary soup kubbeh may fall apart. This is a meat hamin with no dairy.

Method

1. Fry the meat and onion and cool. Soak the bulgur in 450 ml of water for 30 minutes; if liquid remains, squeeze it out, and knead with the semolina. Add up to 100 ml of water gradually, only until you get a pliable shell.
2. Form 16 filled discs and seal them well.
3. Fry onion in an ovenproof pot, add the chickpeas, spices and water and boil for 30 minutes.
4. Gently arrange the kubbeh and cook for two hours over low heat.
5. Cover and transfer to 100 degrees Celsius (210°F) for 10–12 hours. Before Shabbat, make sure there is enough liquid, and follow the hot-plate (plata) rules observed in your home.

Nutrition facts and calorie estimate

Variations and tips

• The pot should stay moist but not soupy; check before the night and add boiling water only as needed.
• Don’t add cold water to a hot pot, because it stops the cooking and can damage the pot.
• Set the pot on a tray to catch any overflow, and use a lid and handles suitable for the oven.
• Keep leftovers for up to 4 days refrigerated and reheat until the center is steaming.

Summary

A serving of two kotla and chickpeas is about 790 calories. See macaroni hamin and Kurdish cuisine.