Dominican Kipes Recipe - A Delicious Meaty Appetizer
These Dominican Kipes are stuffed with complex, rich, and uber delicious flavors. They are easy to make and can even be frozen for later meals. Give them a try with one of my refreshing Dominican drinks.
Ingredients
For the bulgur wheat mixture
- 1 3/4 cups bulgur wheat
- 3 cups water
- 2 tbsp sofrito paste
- 1 tsp adobo seasoning
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the meat mixture
- 2 lb ground beef
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 1 tsp adobo seasoning
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp sofrito paste
- 2 tsp cilantro, finely chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the filling and cooking
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
Prepare the bulgur wheat
- To start, combine the bulgur wheat and water in a large bowl. Make sure that the water covers the bulgur completely. Then, cover the bowl and allow it to rest for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Once your bulgur has softened completely, drain it from the water. Place the remaining wheat in a muslin cloth and press it hard to squeeze out any excess water.
- Next, you can season the bulgur. Combine it with the sofrito paste, adobo seasoning, salt, cilantro, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Work the mixture with your hands until it is combined. Set it aside.
Make the ground beef mixture
- Next, start your ground beef mixture. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, salt, adobo seasoning, oregano, sofrito paste, and cilantro.
- Work the mixture with your hands until you get a uniformly smooth paste-like meat mixture.
- Next, add the freshly ground black pepper and mix it well again.
Make the kipe dough
- To make your kipe meat and bulgur dough, combine two-thirds of the meat mixture with the bulgur wheat. Work the ingredients slightly with your hands so that they can combine.
- You can use the dough like that or if you like you can place the mixture in a food processor and pulse it until you have a smoother, thick, and paste-like dough.
Make the filling
- To start, heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Saute the onions for 3 minutes or until they become translucent.
- Next, add the final third of your ground meat mixture. Allow the mixture to cook while continuously breaking the chunks apart with your spatula.
- Once your ground beef is completely cooked, add the tomato sauce and mix it in well.
- Allow the filling to cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Then, add the lid and allow it to simmer for another 10 minutes so the flavors can infuse.
- Remove the lid and reduce the meat juices and sauce completely. Continue cooking the ground beef until you have a thick juicy mixture.
- Set it aside and allow it to cool completely to room temperature.
Assemble the Dominican Kipes
- Take a big spoonful of bulgur and meat dough and roll it into a smooth ball.
- Then, using your fingers, carefully press a hole into it to create a pocket for the filling.
- Next, add about 1 to 2 teaspoons of ground beef filling inside.
- Then, carefully work the top of the dough ball together until it is completely closed. Work the Kipe into an elongated oval or cone-shaped snack.
Deep-fry your Dominican Kipes
- Next, preheat your frying oil to 360ºF (180ºC). Then, add two or three kipes inside the oil and fry them until they are golden brown and fully cooked.
- Once fried, drain any excess oil on a paper towel. Repeat the process until all of your kipes are fried.
- Serve your Kipes immediately with some additional chopped cilantro.
Nutrition
Calories: 239kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 31gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 606mgPotassium: 680mgFiber: 8gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 111IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!