Quipe, how I prefer and grew up spelling it like, is the Dominican version of the Lebanese Kibbeh or Kipe. It’s made with ground beef and bulgur. We add raisins too sometimes but I omitted from this recipe because my kids won’t eat it with it and I will not waste food. I will add this to my variation recommendations.
I also add onions, green peppers and cilantro. Cook some of the beef on the side seasoned with adobo and use as a filling. Yes, a little different but highly successful in my household.
Batching Kipe (Quipe):
In this recipe card, I am sharing how to make it with one pound of beef but I prefer making a larger amount of Kipes (Quipes) and freezing them after I have formed them. I layer them in a freezable container. Each layer separated by parchment or wax paper. They are good for up to 3 months. Just lay them out at room temperature for about an hour before frying.
My preferred method to fry Kipe (Quipe)
I originally fried kipe (Quipe) in a deep fry. Well, that failed a couple of times with my oil not being hot enough and a couple of my kipes/quipes fell apart. Now I prefer a skillet with about 2 inches of oil and turn over as they cooked through.
Typically, we do not serve with sauce on the side but an aioli of your choice could work well with it.
Dominican Kipe (Quipe) variation:
We sometimes add raisins after we add the cooked beef that goes in the center. A couple is sufficient. And continue as the recipe calls for.
Dominican Style Kipe (Quipe)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Bobs Red Mill Bulgur or other brand
- 1 lb ground beef I prefer 85%
- 1/2 small yellow onion chopped
- 1/2 green pepper chopped
- 1 tsp cilantro chopped
- 1 tsp adobo
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Place bulgur in 2 cups hot water for 4 hours, covered.
- Once Bulgur is ready. Drain excess water and using a cheesecloth if handy. If not handy, use paper towels layered in 4 and pat lightly. But this is harder as the paper towel can rip.
- Place bulgur in another bowl and set aside.
- Place beef in another bowl and reserve about 20% of it in another bowl.
- In a small food processor, place onions, green pepper, cilantro, salt and pepper and pulse until thoroughly mixed. Because it’s not a lot, it may not break up perfectly but no worries, it is still perfect as it is!
- Add the onion mixture to the 80% of beef and mix well. Mix into the bulgur thoroughly.
- In a skillet, add the 20% reserved ground beef and cook over medium high heat. Add adobo and cook until all liquid is evaporated. Once done, set aside and allow to cool down.
Now we assemble our Kipes (Quipes)
- Place about 3 tbs (I like mine rustic) of the beef bulgur mixture in your hands and roll into a meatball. Press a hole in the middle and add a tiny bit of the cooked ground beef in the center. Close the meatball and shape into a ball with tips on each end.
- Once done forming the Kipes (quipes), you can lay them on a lined baking sheet and place in the fridge for two hours. Or you can place in a container lined with non stick parchment paper between layers and freeze. These will be good for about 3 months in your freezer.
- After the two hours, or when ready to fry, fry in corn oil over medium heat. Making sure you cook all the way through to the center and they are golden brown on the outside.
- If they are frozen, they will take longer to cook through. Allow to sit on your countertop for about 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator. Start at medium low and increase heat as it fries to medium high. We want to avoid burning them outside.
- Allow to cool down a few minutes before serving.
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