Kousa Bil Laban, Zucchini in Yogurt
Description
After one hour of simmering, the zucchini become tender and enveloped in a rich deeply flavored garlicky yogurt sauce, making your house smell inviting! Double the quantity, and you will have plenty to pack away for leftovers, which is a great thing you can do for yourself. The yogurt will thicken up a bit upon refrigerating, but the flavors will keep great.
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 cup short-grain rice
- 250 gram/ 8 oz minced lamb or beef
- 1 teaspoon sevenspice/ allspice
- A pinch of freshly grated white pepper
- 4 tablespoons sunflower oil
For the yogurt:
- 12 cups homemade laban/ yogurt or ready bought plain whole milk yogurt
- 3 cups of zucchini broth
- 2 large garlic heads crushed
- 4 heaping tablespoons cornstarch diluted in 1/2 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- 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 walls.
- In a colander, rinse the rice under running cold water and rub with your hands to remove the excess starch as you can and drain.
- In a bowl, mix together the rice with the minced meat and oil, and season with spice and salt. Now your filling is ready.
- Using your finger, stuff each zucchini with the rice and meat filling, leave about ¼ inch or ½ cm of space at top, allowing for the expansion of the rice as it cooks. It is important not to over stuff. Secure each zucchini with a flesh of the hollowed interior of the zucchini, just to create a barrier, preventing the filling from leaking out.
- Transfer the stuffed zucchini to a large pot, and gently add water, almost covering the zucchini, Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover up and leave it about 20 minutes to cook. Drain the zucchini and save the broth.
- Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover up and leave it about 20 minutes to cook. Drain the zucchini and save the broth.
- In a large pot, add the yogurt, garlic, 3 cups of zucchini broth and diluted cornstarch and whisk well to homogenize the mixture. Place over high heat, and continue whisking in one direction. The yogurt needs attention to avoid it from curdling; it is crucial to whisk the yogurt constantly.
- Once the mixture boils, gently add the strained zucchini one at a time. Dust with dried mint and adjust salt to your taste preference. Reduce heat to low and keep it simmering (uncovered) for 1 hour, allowing the zucchini to cook through and flavors develop together.
- Transfer to a large bowl or individual soup plates. Serve warm or at room temperature. Cover leftovers when totally cooled down and refrigerate. Happy Eating!
Notes
Looking for another Lebanese classic to learn about? Kousa wa Batingan Mahshi/ Lebanese-style stuffed zucchini and eggplants simmered in tomato sauce.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!