Kubbeh hamusta

Kubbeh hamusta is a very sour green soup of Swiss chard, zucchini and celery, with semolina dumplings stuffed with beef cooking in it. In the homes of Jews from Kurdistan and Iraq it is the Friday lunch soup, and what sets it apart from beet kubbeh is the lemon: here it is the star.

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Dairy freeMeatAllergens:GlutenCelery

Updated

Kubbeh hamustaIllustration
Time2 h 30 minCook 1 h · + Soak 20 min
Pot8 bowls3.2 litres
Per bowl440 kcal18.8 g protein · a 400 ml bowl
Cost of the pot₪49for the pot, about ₪6.1 a bowl

The story of Kubbeh hamusta

Hamusta means sour in the Aramaic spoken by the Jews of Kurdistan, and the name says it all. Kurdish families brought this green soup to Israel, and in Jerusalem, where many of them settled, it became almost an institution: a big pot on the stove every Friday, and neighbours arguing about whose grandmother makes the thinnest kubbeh.

Iraqi Jews have a close relative, kubbeh hamudh, a sour soup with turnip and Swiss chard next to the lemon, and sometimes chickpeas. In Israel the two soups have drifted together, and today hamusta is the familiar name for the green, sour kubbeh soup: zucchini and chard in almost every home, kohlrabi, turnip or chickpeas only in some.

What makes Kubbeh hamusta itself

In hamusta the lemon is not a seasoning, it is the foundation. There is almost no sugar to round it off, and the greens have to stay green despite the acid, which is exactly the challenge. Swiss chard (silka in Israeli kitchens), celery and zucchini cook only until tender, and half the chard goes in blended at the end for a vivid colour and a fresh taste. The dough often has a little fine bulgur, which gives the shell a pleasantly rougher bite than semolina alone.

Kubbeh hamusta for any number of people

Change the number of people and the bowl size, and every ingredient updates in grams, with the cost, calories and protein per bowl.

Bowl size
Units
3.2litres in the pot
4Pot to use, litres
₪49Cost of the pot
₪6.1per bowl
440kcal per bowl
18.8g protein per bowl
IngredientAmountCost
The base
Canola oil30 ml₪0.5
Large onion, chopped200 g · 1 pcs₪1.2
Garlic cloves, chopped15 g · 5 pcs₪0.5
Celery stalks, sliced250 g · 5 pcs₪4.9
Water2.5 l
The greens
Swiss chard, half chopped and half for blending500 g · 12 pcs₪8.9
Zucchini, in 2 cm slices500 g · 4 pcs₪6.5
Celery leaves40 g₪1.4
The sourness
Fresh lemon juice, in two parts180 ml₪3.6
Salt14 g₪0.0
Black pepper2 g₪0.3
Kubbeh dough
Semolina450 g₪2.6
Fine bulgur60 g₪0.8
Lukewarm water330 ml
Salt6 g₪0.0
Kubbeh filling
Ground beef350 g₪16
Onion, finely chopped150 g · 1 pcs₪0.9
Inner celery stalks, finely chopped30 g · 2 pcs₪0.6
Garlic, crushed6 g · 2 pcs₪0.2
Canola oil15 ml₪0.2
Salt5 g₪0.0
Black pepper1 g₪0.1
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Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026. Nutrition from the ingredients in grams, before cooking.

How many calories in Kubbeh hamusta? Nutrition facts and calorie calculator

Change the amount of any ingredient, drop one, or pick a lighter version, and the numbers per serving update at once: calories, fat, carbs, protein, sodium and fibre.

Kubbeh hamusta has 110 calories per 100 ml. A 400 ml bowl made with our recipe has 440 calories: 18.8 g protein, 14.6 g fat and 53.5 g carbohydrates. A 250 ml cup has 275 calories.

Lighter

Ingredients, for the whole recipe

  • 30 ml30 kcal per serving
  • 1 pcs10 kcal per serving
  • 5 pcs3 kcal per serving
  • 5 pcs5 kcal per serving
  • 12 pcs14 kcal per serving
  • 4 pcs10 kcal per serving
  • 40 g1 kcal per serving
  • 180 ml5 kcal per serving
  • 14 g0 kcal per serving
  • 2 g1 kcal per serving
  • 450 g203 kcal per serving
  • 60 g26 kcal per serving
  • 6 g0 kcal per serving
  • 350 g108 kcal per serving
  • 1 pcs8 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs1 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs1 kcal per serving
  • 15 ml15 kcal per serving
  • 5 g0 kcal per serving
  • 1 g0 kcal per serving

What each add-on adds to Kubbeh hamusta

Values for the amount in the row, from the national food database.

Add-onCaloriesProtein, gFat, g
A tablespoon of oil122013.8
A slice of white bread792.50.5
A slice of challah12641.1
A side cup of cooked rice, about1823.50.3

How to make Kubbeh hamusta

In cook mode the screen stays on, tap a step when it is done, and the timers run next to each step.
  1. Dough: soak the fine bulgur in the dough water for 20 minutes. Add the semolina and salt and knead for 5 minutes, until the dough is soft and smooth and does not crack when pressed. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
  2. Filling: fry the onion in the oil for 8 minutes over medium heat, add the beef and break it up until the liquid evaporates, about 8 minutes. Add the chopped celery and garlic, cook for 3 more minutes, season with salt and pepper and cool completely.
  3. Shape 32 kubbeh: with wet hands, 26 g of dough and 14 g of filling each. Seal well, press gently to push out the air and roll into a smooth ball. Freeze on a tray for an hour, because firm kubbeh hold their shape better in a sour soup.
  4. Soup: in a wide 6 litre pot, fry the onion in the oil for 6 minutes, add the garlic and celery stalks and fry for 3 more minutes.
  5. Add the water and half the chopped chard leaves, together with their stalks finely chopped. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes.
  6. Add the zucchini, half the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Taste: the soup should already be clearly sour.
  7. Lower the kubbeh into the gently boiling soup one at a time, in a single layer, and cook for 30 minutes over low heat without stirring with a spoon. Kubbeh straight from the freezer need 35 minutes.
  8. Blend the rest of the chard with the celery leaves and a ladle of the soup, add to the pot with the remaining lemon juice, and cook for 5 minutes only.
  9. Turn off the heat, taste and correct the salt and lemon, and let the pot rest for 10 minutes. Serve 4 kubbeh per bowl.

The science of Kubbeh hamusta

Kitchen science

Why the green of kubbeh hamusta fades

The green of Swiss chard comes from chlorophyll, a molecule with a magnesium ion at its centre. With heat and acid, hydrogen ions take its place and chlorophyll turns into pheophytin, which is olive brown. In a sour soup you cannot prevent this completely, only shorten it: blended leaves for the last five minutes, and lemon added in two stages.

Kitchen science

Why the zucchini do not fall apart

Zucchini hold their shape thanks to pectin, the material that glues cell walls together. In neutral conditions pectin breaks down quickly with heat; in acidic conditions it breaks down far more slowly. That is why thick zucchini slices stay whole in a sour soup even after half an hour.

Kitchen science

Where the lemon scent goes

Lemon's sourness comes from citric acid, which is stable under heat. Its scent comes from volatile compounds that evaporate during a long boil. So juice cooked for an hour is sour but flat, while juice added at the end is sour and fragrant. Citric acid gives only the sourness, without the scent.

Kitchen science

What bulgur does in the dough

Bulgur is wheat that has been boiled, dried and cracked, so its starch is already partly cooked. It softens with soaking alone, and in the dough it breaks up the continuity of the semolina: the dough is less sticky to work and the shell has a pleasantly rougher texture. Too much bulgur and the dough cracks when you seal it.

Kubbeh hamusta in every kitchen

Kurdish

Lots of celery, Swiss chard, zucchini and lemon, sometimes with dried mint at the end. A little bulgur or cracked wheat in the dough, and sometimes a filling of slow cooked beef pulled into shreds.

Iraqi, kubbeh hamudh

A sour soup with diced turnip and Swiss chard, sometimes with chickpeas. The turnip adds a gentle sweetness and a light bitterness that balance the lemon.

With kohlrabi

Some Israeli families swap the turnip for kohlrabi, milder and sweeter, which keeps a little crunch even after long cooking.

With citric acid

Citric acid in place of some of the lemons gives a sharp, steady sourness without the lemon scent. A small amount goes a long way, so add it gradually.

Vegetarian

A filling of mushrooms and onion fried until dry, and a soup made with water only. The whole pot is parve.

Common Kubbeh hamusta problems and how to fix them

The hamusta came out too sour

Thin it with a cup of hot water, correct the salt, and if needed add a teaspoon of sugar, not to sweeten but to round it off. Strong sourness is the point of hamusta, but it should still be pleasant by the third spoonful.

The soup turned brown instead of green

The leaves cooked too long with the acid. Next time cook only half the leaves at the start, and blend the other half and add it for the last five minutes.

My kubbeh fall apart in the sour soup

Acid slightly weakens the protein network in the dough, so hamusta is less forgiving than beet kubbeh. Freeze the kubbeh before cooking, lower them into a gentle simmer in a single layer, and do not stir with a spoon.

The zucchini turned to mush

They were sliced too thin or went in too early. Cut them into 2 cm slices and add them 15 minutes after the soup boils, just before the kubbeh.

The bulgur dough cracks

The bulgur was not soaked long enough or there is too much of it. Soak for at least 20 minutes, and if the dough still cracks when you seal it, add a spoonful of water and knead again.

Storing, freezing and reheating

3 days

In the fridge

3 months for uncooked kubbeh

In the freezer

2+4

To cool

Bring it from 60 to 21 °C within two hours and down to 5 °C within four more. Split a big pot into shallow boxes.

75 °C

Reheating

Reheat over low heat without stirring with a spoon. To bring back colour and freshness, add a handful of blended chard and a squeeze of lemon at the end.

Nutrition of Kubbeh hamusta

From our recipe, per bowl and per 100 g, next to the national food database.

ServingkcalProtein, gFat, gCarbs, gFibre, g
Our recipe, a 400 ml bowl44018.814.653.58.2
Our recipe, 100 ml1104.73.613.42.0
Typical Kubbeh hamusta, 100 g170.70.71.70.8
Typical Kubbeh hamusta, 100 g (2)2159.24.832.62.1

What the ingredients of Kubbeh hamusta cost

What each ingredient costs in one pot, and where to buy it.

IngredientPriceIn this potWhere to buy
Ground beef₪46 per kg₪16Supermarket
Swiss chard, half chopped and half for blending₪8.9 each₪8.9Greengrocer
Zucchini, in 2 cm slices₪13 per kg₪6.5Greengrocer
Celery stalks, sliced₪6.9 each₪5.5Greengrocer
Fresh lemon juice, in two parts₪20 per litre₪3.6Supermarket
Semolina₪5.8 per kg₪2.6Supermarket
Large onion, chopped₪5.9 per kg₪2.1Greengrocer
Celery leaves₪6.9 each₪1.4Greengrocer
Fine bulgur₪13 per kg₪0.8Market
Garlic cloves, chopped₪34 per kg₪0.7Greengrocer
Canola oil₪15 per litre₪0.7Supermarket
Black pepper₪139 per kg₪0.4Supermarket
Salt₪2.1 per kg₪0.1Supermarket

Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026, VAT included. Vegetable prices change with the season.

From the pantry: what Kubbeh hamusta needs

Pantry

Fine bulgur

Price and where to buy

Make Kubbeh hamusta a meal

Shabbat

Ready Shabbat food

Soup, hamin, mains and sides, with a quantity calculator and prices.

Plan Shabbat
Hosting

Hosting trays

9 trays to go with the soup, with a planner by number of guests.

Tray planner
Events

Catering

A whole menu in grams per guest, with a reheating table.

Menus

What to serve with Kubbeh hamusta

Serve in deep bowls with white rice on the side, or put a spoonful of rice at the bottom of the bowl and ladle soup and kubbeh over it. Fresh pita for wiping the bowl completes the meal.

The cuisine behind Kubbeh hamusta

Kurdish

Kurdish cuisine

Hamusta means sour in the Aramaic spoken by the Jews of Kurdistan, and the name says it all. Kurdish families brought this green soup to…

Kurdish cuisine
Iraqi

Iraqi cuisine

Iraqi cuisine

Kubbeh hamusta in large quantities: events, offices and communities

How much of everything by number of guests, at a 400 ml bowl. For institutional pots, catering and community kitchens.

GuestsLitres30 l potsCost of ingredients
25101₪154
50201₪307
100402₪614
200803₪1,229
5002008₪3,072

Every ingredient for any number of guests is in the calculator above: type the number of people.

Order Kubbeh hamusta

A ready pot for Shabbat, an event or the office, ordered ahead.

  • Cooked to order, for Shabbat, an event or the office.
  • Tell us how many people and when, and we send a quote.
  • Delivery in Tel Aviv from ₪35, free over ₪750.
Ask for a quote for Kubbeh hamusta

Order Kubbeh hamusta for a large event

Large orders in Israel and abroad: events, offices, synagogues, communities and institutions.

  • In Israel: cooked in Tel Aviv and delivered to events in the area, and to large events anywhere in the country on a quote.
  • Abroad: for communities, events and restaurants. Tell us where, how many and when, and we come back with a quote and options.
  • Institutional quantities and a shopping list for any number of guests, in the calculator above.
Ask for a large-order quote

Frequently asked questions

What is hamusta?

A green, sour kubbeh soup from the kitchen of the Jews of Kurdistan, with Swiss chard, celery, zucchini and plenty of lemon. The name means sour in the Aramaic they spoke.

How many lemons go into kubbeh hamusta?

For a pot of 8, about 180 ml of juice, roughly 5 lemons. Half goes in midway through cooking and half at the end, and you taste before adding the second half.

Can I make hamusta without Swiss chard?

Yes, with spinach, but it softens very fast and darkens the soup. Add it only in the last 10 minutes, and boost the green with extra celery leaves.

What is the difference between hamusta and beet kubbeh?

Hamusta is green and sour, with almost no sugar. Beet kubbeh is red and sweet and sour, from beets, lemon and sugar. The kubbeh themselves are almost identical.

Can I use citric acid instead of lemons?

Yes. About half a tablespoon of citric acid is enough for this pot, added gradually. The sourness is sharp and steady but has no lemon scent, so many cooks use half citric acid and half squeezed lemon.

Is kubbeh hamusta Kurdish or Iraqi?

Mainly Kurdish, and the name is Aramaic. Iraqi Jews have a close soup, kubbeh hamudh, with turnip and Swiss chard. In Israel the two have drifted together and hamusta is the familiar name for both.

How long do you cook kubbeh hamusta?

30 minutes over low heat from the moment the kubbeh go in, and 35 minutes for kubbeh straight from the freezer. The blended greens go in only for the last 5 minutes.

How many calories are in Kubbeh hamusta?

A 400 ml bowl of Kubbeh hamusta made with our recipe has about 440 calories and 18.8 g of protein. Per 100 ml: 110 calories.

How much does it cost to make Kubbeh hamusta at home?

A pot of 8 bowls costs about ₪49 at Israeli shelf prices in October 2026, about ₪6.1 a bowl. The calculator above works it out for any number of people.

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