Kibbeh Nayee - beef fillet tartare

This Middle-Eastern version of a beef tartare carries an immensely dense flavour. Greg Malouf serves his beef tartare recipe with cucumber, chillies and yoghurt in this vibrant summer starter.

Ingredients

KIBBEH NAYEE

300g of beef mince

100g of bulgur wheat

90g of white onion, roughly chopped

1 green chilli, seeded, roughly chopped

1 handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped

1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1 handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 pinch of black pepper, freshly ground

1/4 tsp chilli powder

ice cubes

GARNISH

100g of salad leaves

1 handful of mint leaves

4 tbsp of Greek yoghurt

pickled green chillies

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

extra virgin olive oil

1 dash of lemon juice

Method

 1 Soak the bulgur it for 5 minutes in just enough cold water to cover. This will soften the bulgur, but still leave a little crunch. Drain the bulgur wheat through a sieve and tip into a tea towel, squeeze out as much water as you can. Place into a mixing bowl and set aside

2 Blend the onions, chilli and fresh herbs to a rough smooth paste. Add the paste, along with the salt, pepper and chilli powder, to the bulgur wheat and mix well

3 Add the minced beef and ice cubes to the bulgar wheat mixture. Mix well with your hands - as the ice melts, it will bind everything together into a smooth, sticky paste

4 Finally, divide the meat into 4 even portions and form into round balls. Press gently to flatten slightly into an oval shape before placing the patties onto plates

5 For added decoration, use the back of a soup spoon to make a little indent on the surface of the meat and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil

6 To serve, drizzle with a dash of lemon juice and garnish with mint leaves, salad leaves, pickled green chilies, cucumber slices, a dollop of greek yoghurt and crusty bread