Lebanese meat rolls or Lebanese meat cigars, as some call them, are one of the favorite mezze spots! As you all know, there are endless options of Lebanese mezze. These delightful rolls are filled with minced lamb meat, onions, pine nuts, spices and pomegranate molasses. The pomegranate molasses gives the filling a further depth and a sweet and sour taste.
The rolls are ideal for parties, gatherings and they look great on your holiday buffet. When Imake them, I usually double the quantity because they freeze perfectly; and the good news is that they can go directly from freezer to fryer.
Thaw the spring roll package before separating the wrappers so you don’t tear them up.
For freezing: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread the meat rolls in a single layer, leaving the rolls separated. Freeze for several hours, remove from the pan and store in a zip-top (this will prevent them from sticking together).
The pomegranate molasses gives the filling a further depth and a sweet and sour taste.
Add the 4 tablespoons of canola oil to a pan and place over medium heat. Sauté the pine nuts until they turn golden in color. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Lebanese Meat Rolls
Description
Ingredients
- 1 package of spring roll wrappers
For the filling:
- 500 g. /1 lb. 2 oz. minced lamb or beef
- 3 onions finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- A dash of freshly grated black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- A dash of chili flakes
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
For the glue ingredients:
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup flour
- 4 cups canola oil for deep frying
Instructions
For the filling:
- Add the 4 tablespoons of canola oil to a pan and place over medium heat. Sauté the pine nuts until they turn golden in color. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Using the same oil, sauté the minced lamb and cook over medium heat until well browned, for about 7 to 8 minutes.
- Add the onions, salt, chili flakes, cinnamon powder and black pepper. Stir to combine, reduce heat to very low and cover up. Simmer about 5-7 minutes. Add the pomegranate molasses, stir one more time to fully incorporate the filling. Remove from heat and set aside to cool down.
To put together:
- In a small bowl, whisk the glue ingredients. Set aside.
- Spread one spring roll sheet, one at a time, on a plate. With your index finger; wet the edges with the glue.
- Add 1 ½ tablespoons of the filling close to the bottom edge of the pastry. Roll over once, tuck in the sides and resume rolling until you reach the top, then seal.
- Repeat as necessary.
- In a deep fryer, heat oil to an adequate frying temperature, fry the rolls, in batches, to a golden color. Drain on paper towels. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
You might like to learn about The Lebanese Cheese Borek!
3 Comments
What dipping sauce is good with these?