Dominican Kipes

Kipe or Quipe is the Dominican version of the Lebanese kibbeh. The idea of the Dominican Kipes comes from migrants from the Middle East. But after various adjustments, the recipe has now acquired its own identity. The meat used for Dominican chickens is minced beef or pork. These popular meatballs are eaten as a snack, snack, street food or as a side dish. The taste comes out best if you prepare it in the morning, or a day before you put it on the menu.

Preparation

• Place the bulgur in a large bowl and add enough water to let it sit overnight, stirring occasionally and letting the bulgur absorb the water well
• Chop the parsley, bell pepper and onion very finely
• Put the minced meat in a mixing bowl and add the chopped bell pepper, parsley and onion and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
• Mix the minced meat well with the spices.
• Now divide the minced meat into 3 equal portions and set 1/3 aside for later use
• Take the bulgur and pour off the remaining water, put the bulgur in a cloth and squeeze out the water
• Now mix 2/3 of the minced meat with the bulgur until a firm mass and set aside

In the pan or in the oven

• Take the minced meat that you had set aside (1/3 part) and put it in the pan with a little oil and fry it while stirring until it is cooked (free-flowing)
• Now add the tomato sauce and bring it to a boil.
• Add the raisins together with the water and let it simmer until there is no more liquid and let it cool.
• Now take the minced bulgur mixture and make small oval meatballs
• Then make a hollow in each meatball with a finger and fill the meatball with one tablespoon of the already baked meat-tomato-raisin mixture and close the meatball again.
• Now let the meatballs rest for six hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator so that they become firmer
• Remove the chickens from the refrigerator and put a pan on the fire with enough oil to fry, make sure the oil is hot before putting the balls in or they will fall apart in the oil. (minimum 180°C)
• Now carefully place the balls in the frying oil, lower them into the oil on a large spoon and hold them briefly in the oil before releasing them so that they do not stick to the bottom.
• Fry them until golden brown and let them drain on kitchen paper

Enjoy your meal

Serve the Dominican Kipes warm, they are delicious with any Dominican meal, but also as a side dish with fries. You can determine the size yourself, although I wouldn't make them too big. Small versions are also very suitable as a snack or as tapas. If you want to make a different version of the Dominican chickens, replace the parsley with basil.