Iraqi Chef Preserves Family Tradition With Red Kubbeh Recipe Passed Through Generations

Chef David Carmi traces his culinary journey back to his great-grandfather, David Shaul, who was born in Baghdad and blended Jewish tradition with rich Iraqi culture. David Shaul studied under the influential spiritual leader Ben Ish Chai and ran a bakery that became a community hub, known for its traditional pastries like date-filled "baba" cookies, made when sugar was scarce and dates were treasured as "sweet gold." This heritage inspired Carmi to document and revive authentic Iraqi cuisine.

Carmi spent years researching and perfecting recipes through kitchen work, market visits, and conversations with Iraqi immigrants. His goal was to preserve the deep roots of Iraqi cooking rather than treat it as a passing trend. One of his signature dishes is the traditional red kubbeh, a meat-stuffed dumpling with a soft, juicy shell made from semolina and bulgur, adapted from the original Baghdad recipe that used ground rice and chicken.

The kubbeh filling, called "hashuya," consists of fresh ground beef mixed with onions soaked in salt, parsley, and celery. Carmi recommends freezing the meatballs briefly before shaping the dumplings to ease the process. The accompanying broth is made from beets, chard, celery, onions, sugar, lemon juice, Iraqi baharat spice, and pomegranate molasses, simmered to create a vibrant, flavorful soup.

Carmi emphasizes a key principle: the soup always waits for the kubbeh, not the other way around. He shares the full recipe and more on his website, aiming to keep Iraqi culinary traditions alive for future generations.