A few days ago my son Ali called me and said that he was raving about Kousa ablama, and asked me to write a detailed post so he can make it; a culinary dish that has been passed down from one generation to the next. While Kousa mahshi may be the centerpiece holiday dish for many, others may have preference for koussa ablama. Yes, in Lebanon and the Middle East when it comes to the world of stuffed food, the limit does not exist. Kousa ablama is a simple, Lebanese way to make a main course of zucchini. Serve it with rice and vermicelli or plain rice. Keep this recipe on hand so you can make this comfort-meat stuffed zucchini anytime, I think it’s a dish that everybody loves.
Simmering the minced meat stuffed zucchini in tomatoes and serving it with rice on the side is a guranteed way to a soul warming comfort dish.
You hollow out the insides of the zucchini with a special tool called in the Middle East mankara, leaving the zucchini otherwise intact, and fill them with cooked ground lamb or beef and spices (no rice involved in the filling) before frying and simmering them in a tomato sauce.
The steady differences between kousa mahshi and kousa ablama are:
- 1- The filling involves no rice, just cooked minced meat.
- 2- Kousa Ablama is baked in the oven, while mahshi koussa is simmered on the stovetop.
- 3- Stuffed zucchini should be fried or broiled before cooking in tomato sauce.
- 4- Classically, kousa ablama is served with rice as a side dish.
Ingredients needed for koussa ablama:
- Baby Zucchini
- Tomato Paste
- Garlic
- Dried Mint
- Minced Meat (Lamb or Beef)
- Butter
- Black and White Pepper
- Salt to Taste
- Pine Nuts
- Neutral Oil (like sunflower or canola oil): To cook the minced meat and to fry the zucchini.
Begin by selecting the right type of zucchini. Try to put your hands on small-medium Lebanese zucchini no longer than 7 inches/17 cm, and sometimes called Mexican grey squash, their pale green skin is smooth and shiny, are ideal to make stuffed zucchini aka kousa; they taste great and hold their shape without getting soggy while cooking.
You need to hollow out the zucchini with a vegetable corer (mankara), a utensil used in the Middle East to core up the pulps of some vegetables like zucchini and eggplants. Wash, scrub and dry the zucchini, cut off the stem tips and gently hollow out the center with the vegetable corer.
Try to hollow just like you are carving a pumpkin, hollow out the center leaving 1/3 inch/ ¾ cm, around the interior wall and maybe more if you mange doing that without poking the zucchini. It is simple, but still it is a skill that needs a bit of practice to master it.
How to cook the mined meat and pine nuts?
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the pine nuts and toast, stirring occasionally or tossing the skillet, until they’re golden-brown and smell quite nutty. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the minced meat, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. You want to break it up as much as possible or you will end up with lumps of meat that have fused together as they cook. Season with salt and the mentioned spices; Cook the mince, stirring and breaking up any large chunks for about 6-8 minutes, or until it is fully browned. Remove from heat, take a bite to make sure you’ve seasoned to your taste preference. Add the toasted pine nuts, and leave to completely cool down, now the stufffing is ready.
Stuff the zucchini with the cooked minced meat.
Fill each zucchini with the minced meat stuffing by hand until you reach the top, fully pack it until you reach the top, pushing it in so there are not air pockets.
Fry the stuffed zucchini!
Heat the sunflower oil/ melt ghee in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the stuffed zucchini in single layer and cook until golden-browned on the bottom, flipping 2 or 3 times, until lightly browned on all sides. To remove the excess oil and ensure the zucchini turns out nice and crisp, let them drain on a paper towel after frying.
Bake the Zucchini in a Garlicky Tomato Sauce
In a single layer, arrange the stuffed zucchini in a baking dish. In a bowl, whisk the water, tomato paste, crushed garlic and salt until well combined, and pour gently over the stuffed zucchini, sprinkle the dried mint and top and bake in a preheated oven to 180°C/350 °F, about 45 minutes.
The ideal side dish to serve kousa ablama with!
Like most Lebanese stews rice and vermicelli is an ideal side to serve with kousa ablama, or simplt serve it with plain rice. If you are following a low carb diet, skip the rice and enjoy kousa ablama on its own, believe me it’s still so satisfying.
How can I reduce oil in making kousa ablama?
Instead of frying, use a generously oiled baking sheet to oven fry the meat stuffed zucchini under the broiler until browned on both sides. This will save time and effort and will require less oil than frying.
For a time-saving strategy!
The meat filling can be made, and the zucchini stuffed and refrigerated, up to 3 days before roasting. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before.
Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days; gently reheat in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through.
Looking for more mahshi (stuffed food) recipes, we got you covered!
- Mahshi/ Koussa wa Batenjan Mahshi/ Stuffed Zucchini and Eggplants
- Kousa Bil Laban/ Zucchini in Yogurt
- Authentic Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves
Koussa Ablama
Description
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg/ 3lb 4 oz baby zucchini
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 8 garlic cloves crushed
- A pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon dried mint
- 1 cup canola or vegetable oil, or ghee to fry the zucchini
For the Filling:
- 1 kg/ 2 lb 4 oz minced meat beef or lamb
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon of freshly grated white pepper
- Salt to taste
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons canola oil or any neutral oil
Instructions
- Begin by selecting the right type of zucchini. Try to put your hands on small-medium Lebanese zucchini no longer than 7 inches/17 cm, and sometimes called Mexican grey squash, their pale green skin is smooth and shiny, are ideal to make stuffed zucchini aka kousa; they taste great and hold their shape without getting soggy while cooking.
- You need to hollow out the zucchini with a vegetable corer (mankara), a utensil used in the Middle East to core up the pulps of some vegetables like zucchini and eggplants. Wash, scrub and dry the zucchini, cut off the stem tips and gently hollow out the center with the vegetable corer.
- Try to hollow just like you are carving a pumpkin, hollow out the center leaving 1/3 inch/ ¾ cm, around the interior wall and maybe more if you mange doing that without poking the zucchini. It is simple, but still it is a skill that needs a bit of practice to master it.
- To cook the minced meat: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the pine nuts and toast, stirring occasionally or tossing the skillet, until they’re golden-brown and smell quite nutty. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the minced meat, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. You want to break it up as much as possible or you will end up with lumps of meat that have fused together as they cook. Season with salt and the mentioned spices; Cook the mince, stirring and breaking up any large chunks for about 6-8 minutes, or until it is fully browned. Remove from heat, take a bite to make sure you’ve seasoned to your taste preference. Add the toaste pine nuts, and leave to completely cool down. Now your stufffing is ready.
- Stuff the zucchini: Fill each zucchini with the minced meat stuffing by hand until you reach the top, fully pack it until you reach the top, pushing it in so there are not air pockets.
- Fry the zucchini: Heat the sunflower oil or ghee in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the stuffed zucchini in single layer and cook until golden-browned on the bottom, flipping 2 or 3 times, until lightly browned on all sides. To remove the excess oil and ensure the zucchini turns out nice and crisp, let them drain on a paper towel after frying.
- Bake the zucchini in a garlicky tomato sauce: In a single layer, arrange the stuffed zucchini in a baking dish. In a bowl, whisk the water, tomato paste, crushed garlic and salt until well combined, and pour gently over the stuffed zucchini, sprinkle the dried mint and top and bake in a preheated oven to 180°C/350 °F, about 45 minutes, until the zucchini are thoroughly cooked.
- Serve kousa ablama with rice and vermicelli, check the link above.
