Iraqi-Jewish and Baghdadi classic · Sour soup
Kubba Hamuth Recipe (Iraqi Sour Kubba Soup)
Sticky rice dough. Wet hands. Gentle simmer.
Recipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchenKubba hamuth are dumplings with a rice dough shell and spiced meat filling, simmered in a sour broth with turnip, beetroot or chard. They break apart in the pot when the rice dough isn't sticky enough or the broth boils hard. The fix is soaking and grinding the rice until it holds, shaping with wet hands, and simmering gently.
The 3 laws of kubba hamuth
Why this recipe works
Crumbly dough
Rice must hold when pressed.
Dry hands
Dough sticks to dry hands and tears.
Rolling boil
Boiling breaks the kubba.
Shopping and prep list
Ingredients
Kubba
Sour broth
The NineFoods kubba gauge
Will the dough hold?
Press a walnut of dough into a cup in your palm.
Method · 4 stages
Step by step
Dough
- Grind drained rice with beef and salt until it forms a smooth, sticky dough.
- Use the gauge above.
Filling and shape
- Cook filling mince with onion and spices until dry; add parsley.
- With wet hands, cup dough, fill, seal and flatten slightly.
Sour broth
- Fry onion and garlic, add paste, vegetables and stock.
- Simmer until tender, then add lemon, sugar and salt.
Cook kubba
- Slide kubba in and simmer gently until they float and firm up.
- Finish with dried mint.
Chef's troubleshooter
What went wrong? Pick the symptom
Why
Dough too dry or boiling.
Fix next time
Grind until sticky and keep a bare simmer.
Why
Dry hands.
Fix next time
Keep a bowl of water and wet hands each time.
Why
Too little lemon.
Fix next time
Add lemon gradually and balance with sugar.
Why
Undercooked.
Fix next time
Simmer until kubba are firm through.
Swap smart
Ingredient roles and substitutes
| Ingredient | Job in the dish | Swap with |
|---|---|---|
| Short-grain rice | Dough | Ground rice flour plus a little semolina |
| Turnip | Classic vegetable | Chard, okra or beetroot |
| Lemon | Sourness | Sumac or verjuice |
| Beef | Filling | Chicken mince |
After the meal
Serve, store, reheat
Serve with
Plain rice or bread; the soup is a meal on its own.
Store
Freeze raw kubba up to 2 months; soup keeps 3 days.
Reheat
Simmer gently; do not boil.
How we tested this recipe
Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio
Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.
- Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 6 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
- Every one of the 4 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
- The doneness check (will the dough hold) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
- Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.
Keep cooking
Related recipes and guides
Quick answers
Kubba Hamuth FAQ
What is kubba hamuth?
Rice-shell dumplings filled with meat, cooked in a sour vegetable broth.
Is it Iraqi or Kurdish?
It is loved across Iraq, including Kurdish and Iraqi-Jewish kitchens.
Can I freeze kubba?
Yes, freeze them raw and cook from frozen.
Why are my kubba breaking?
The dough was too dry or the broth was boiling.