Kibbeh bi laban

Method

1. 1 Soak the broken wheat for 1 hour, then squeeze out the excess water and pound it with half of the lamb to make the crust; sauté the remaining lamb to make the filling.
2. 2 Mold kibbeh into flat discs 2 cm thick, not into pointed balls at both ends.
3. 3 The flat shape is the distinguishing feature of Laban balls; the flat balls cook quickly and don't need to be simmered for long in yogurt.
4. 4 Cook the rice with 300 ml of water for 15 minutes, then blend it until smooth. The rice starch is what keeps the yogurt from separating.
5. 5 Beat the yogurt with the ground rice water, then simmer over low heat, stirring continuously in one direction for 10 minutes.
6. 6 Place the flat kibbeh in a pot and cook for 15 minutes, then drizzle with garlic butter and crushed dried mint leaves.

With an appliance

• Oven 1 hr 24 min

  Replace steps 5–6: Pour the yogurt mixture with rice water and flattened kibbeh into a covered saucepan and cook on the middle rack of the oven at 140°C for 17 minutes; reduce by about 8 minutes. Even heat keeps the sauce smooth, the flat pieces intact, and eliminates the need for constant stirring. The rice from step 4 is still cooked and ground beforehand to prevent separation.