AI-generated photo.
Iraqi · Iraq
Rice kubba
Also called كبة
Rice kubba, a dish from Iraq (كبة).
Pai editors’ mark 4 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Rice kubba is cooked in Iraq as its own dish. Case a beef filling in a mashed-rice dough and fry the patties until the crust is firm. Amounts are scaled for four from foods this library can count, so the nutrition panel comes from those ingredients.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
71
Health score
Light & nourishing
Moderate
Richness
Gentle
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 21%
- Carbs 48%
- Fat 31%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Suits · High protein
About 28.5 g of protein in the serving.
Watch · Low sodium
About 470 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Suits · Dairy-free
No milk ingredients in the required list.
Watch · Vegetarian
Meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish is in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Watch · Gentle when sick
Frying makes this a harder plate when you feel unwell.
Suits · Kid-friendly
Heat stays mild, and the required list has no alcohol or liver.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Dry jasmine rice274 kcal
- Ground beef, 90% lean198 kcal
- Neutral oil62 kcal
- Yellow onion18 kcal
- Ground cumin2 kcal
- Flat-leaf parsley1 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 48.9. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving, as written, is about 555 kcal.
Allergens. None flagged in the required list.
Make it healthier
Serve three-quarters of the plate
The ingredient mix stays the same. Calories are three-quarters of the counted serving.
About 416 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and brighten the plate with lemon or lime.
The same dish with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Replace the meat or fish with the same weight of drained chickpeas.
The seasoning and the method stay. The center of the plate changes. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 555 kcal | 28% |
| Protein | 28.5 g | 57% |
| Carbohydrate | 64.6 g | 23% |
| Fiber | 1.9 g | 7% |
| Total sugars | 2 g | 4% |
| Fat | 19 g | 24% |
| Saturated fat | 5.6 g | 28% |
| Cholesterol | 73 mg | 24% |
| Sodium | 470 mg | 20% |
| Potassium | 543 mg | 12% |
| Calcium | 55 mg | 4% |
| Iron | 6.4 mg | 36% |
| Magnesium | 49 mg | 12% |
| Zinc | 6.3 mg | 57% |
| Vitamin A | 21 mcg | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 8.4 mg | 9% |
| Vitamin D | 0.1 mcg | 1% |
| Vitamin E | 0.9 mg | 6% |
| Vitamin K | 76 mcg | 63% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.5 mg | 43% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.2 mg | 18% |
| Niacin (B3) | 9 mg | 56% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.6 mg | 35% |
| Folate | 194 mcg | 49% |
| Vitamin B12 | 2.5 mcg | 104% |
These figures follow the USDA-linked ingredient table where a safe FoodData Central row exists. Optional ingredients are left out. A few pantry items still use Pai's curated numbers because no close USDA row was found. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- Protein is high enough to make the meal satisfying.
- The method is a fry, so it stays out of the lightest group even when the rest of the plate is modest.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Heavy pot
- Scale
- Slotted spoon
- Thermometer
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Dry jasmine rice1.5 cups300 g
Ground beef, 90% lean1 lb450 g
Yellow onion1 onion180 g
Ground cumin1 tsp2 g
Flat-leaf parsley0.5 cup15 g
Neutral oil2 tbsp30.77 ml
Kosher salt1 tsp4 g
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and brighten the plate with lemon or lime.. The same dish with less sodium.
- Replace the meat or fish with the same weight of drained chickpeas.. The seasoning and the method stay. The center of the plate changes.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Heat the oil until a pinch of the coating sizzles at once. Do not let it smoke. For Rice kubba, start here: case a beef filling in a mashed-rice dough and fry the patties until the crust is firm.
AI-generated photo.
2Case a beef filling in a mashed-rice dough and fry the patties until the crust is firm.
Cook 30 min
AI-generated photo.
3The crust should be pale gold and the center cooked through. Stop when this is true of Rice kubba: Case a beef filling in a mashed-rice dough and fry the patties until the crust is firm.
AI-generated photo.
4Drain on a rack for a minute so the crust stays crisp. Rice kubba is eaten in Iraq as this plate, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it.
How you know it is done
Rice kubba is done when it looks like the finished plate in the last step, with the seasoning tasted and adjusted.
If it goes wrong
- Rice kubba looks done on top and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue in the method, not the color alone. Give it a few more minutes and check the center.
- Rice kubba spread, sank, or turned out dry. Measure by weight next time, heat the oven fully, and stop when the doneness cue appears rather than when the timer ends.
Storage
Cool Rice kubba, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven, not a raw salad.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Rice kubba is cooked by fry in Iraq. The steps follow that technique, including the timing above.
- The meat, poultry, or fish is the protein. The panel is this plate, not a generic serving.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, and eggs through. Use pasteurized dairy if the recipe includes it. There is no alcohol in the required list.
Allergens in the required list: none flagged.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.