Name: Kousa bi laban
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Lebanese
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 bunch cilantro (coriander), finely chopped (about 1 heaped cup); 6 garlic cloves, crushed or minced; 32 oz full fat yogurt (1 kg, sour yogurt preferred); 1 egg; 1 tsp salt plus extra for sprinkling on cilantro; 2 tbsp cornstarch; 1/4 cup water; 1/4 cup vegetable oil; 2-3 lb Lebanese zucchini (summer squash, baby marrow, gray squash) (1-1.5kg, about 16-22 pieces); 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, diced; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 tsp all spice or seven spices; 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1 lb lean ground beef (500g); 1/4 cup toasted pine nut or almond slivers (see notes)

Lebanese

Wooden spoon

Saucepan

Core the zucchini about 3/4 of the way down, until hollowed out. You can save the cores for another use, see recipe card below.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the cored zucchini in batches, frying about 5 minutes a side until golden brown and starting to soften. Remove from the heat to a paper towel lined plate.

For the spiced meat and stuffing the zucchini:

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil. Once hot, add the diced onions and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened, stirring continuously.

Add the crushed garlic, and cook for a further minute or so, then add the minced beef.

Cook for a minute, breaking apart any clumps of meat with a wooden spoon, cooking, a good 6-8 minutes until beef is all cooked through and brown with no pink bits remaining. Keep stirring and breaking apart clumps of meat.

If desired, drain any extra fat. Add all the spices (seven spice or all spice, cinnamon, salt and black pepper) and stir to combine. Taste the mince and adjust for seasoning. Stir in the toasted nuts.

Using a small spoon, or even better your hands, stuff the hollowed out zucchini all the way to the top with cooked beef. Make sure it&#39;s stuffed tight and compact, press in with your finger at the very top to indent the meat inside. This will prevent meat from coming out as it cooks in the yogurt sauce. Set the stuffed zucchini aside.

Heat a small skillet over medium high heat, and saute the chopped cilantro and crushed garlic with a pinch of salt until the garlic has just turned golden. Set aside.

Mix the cornstarch with the water to form a paste.

Using a blender or immersion blender, blend together the yogurt, the egg, the cornstarch paste,and the salt until well combined.

Pour yogurt mixture into a heavy saucepan over medium heat and immediately start whisking. Keep whisking and don't stop or the sauce will separate. After around 10 minutes or so, the sauce will begin to boil and as soon as that happens take it off the stove.

Add the fried garlic and coriander mix, stir and taste for seasoning. Add any salt you feel it needs, and a splash of water if you think sauce is too thick.

Add the stuffed zucchini to this pot of yogurt. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until zucchini is completely tender and cooked through, don&#39;t let the yogurt sauce come to a boil.

Seve with toasted almond slivers or pine nuts on top and vermicelli rice on the side (see notes for rice recipe).

Kousa bi laban

Utensils needed:

Overview

Category

Cuisine

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