Kousa Ablama bil Laban could be the ultimate comfort food, a dish that has nourished and sustained generations across Lebanon and the Levant. It offers both deep nourishment and a profound sense of home. The recipe brings together two of my favorite things: tangy cooked yogurt and tender zucchini, or grey squash.
Grey squash, or zucchini, is a wonderful candidate for stuffing, just like kousa bil laban, mahshi koussa wa warak enab, mahshi kousa wa batinjan, kousa ablama bil banadoura, and kousa ablama bil laban. These dishes are warming, comforting, and deeply homey staples of Lebanese cooking.
Kousa ablama bil laban is made with tender grey squash filled with cooked minced meat and gently simmered in a rich yogurt sauce. Unlike kousa bil laban, there is no rice in the filling. My grandmother often made it for special occasions, alongside shish barak and kibbeh bil laban. Making it again brought the memories flooding back—a recipe truly worth keeping alive.
It is hearty enough to enjoy on its own, but it is also wonderful served with Lebanese rice and vermicelli. Like so many traditional Lebanese dishes, kousa ablama bil laban has long been associated with the comfort and warmth of home.
How to Make Kousa Ablama Bil Laban
This recipe starts with grey squash (kousa), which is hollowed out and stuffed with seasoned minced meat and pine nuts. The stuffed zucchini is then pan-fried until lightly browned before being simmered in a creamy yogurt sauce.
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Hollow out the zucchini. Carefully remove the inside of the grey squash, leaving enough flesh around the edges to keep it intact.
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Prepare the filling. Cook the minced meat with the seasonings and pine nuts until browned and cooked through.
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Stuff the zucchini. Fill each hollowed zucchini with the minced meat and pine-nut mixture.
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Pan-fry the zucchini. Fry the stuffed zucchini in shallow oil until lightly browned on all sides.
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Prepare the yogurt sauce. Cook the yogurt according to the recipe until smooth and ready for the zucchini.
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Simmer the zucchini. Transfer the fried zucchini to the cooked yogurt and simmer gently for about 20 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender and the flavors have come together.
What You Need to Make Kousa Ablama Bil Laban
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Grey squash or zucchini: Try to get small-to-medium Lebanese zucchini, no longer than 7 inches (17 cm). Sometimes called Mexican grey squash, its pale green skin is smooth and shiny, making it ideal for kousa ablama bil laban.
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Plain yogurt: The foundation of the dish, paired with the zucchini.
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Minced beef or lamb: I prefer lamb, but beef is commonly used as well.
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Garlic: Adds a rich, savory depth to the dish.
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Dried mint: Adds a concentrated, earthy, and mellow herbal flavor.
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Onion: Ideal for building rich flavor when cooked with the minced meat.
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Cornstarch: Used as the thickening agent.
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Salt: Obviously, for flavor.
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Black pepper: Adds depth of flavor.
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Water
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Ghee or sunflower oil: For frying the zucchini.
Tips fot the Best Meat-Stuffed Zucchini in Yogurt
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Use small-to-medium Lebanese zucchini, no longer than 7 inches (17 cm). Sometimes called Mexican grey squash, these zucchini have smooth, shiny, pale-green skin and are ideal for making kousa ablama bil laban.
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Go for full-fat yogurt. Please use plain yogurt, not Greek yogurt.
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Bring the yogurt to room temperature before putting it on the stovetop.
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You need to increase the yogurt’s stability by adding cornstarch. This is a general rule when making Lebanese cooked-yogurt dishes.
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Whisk the yogurt mixture continuously in one direction over medium heat until it comes to a gentle boil. This helps ensure a smooth, creamy texture.
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Please don’t use non-fat yogurt. While it is still possible to make this dish with non-fat yogurt, full-fat yogurt helps preserve the deep, rich flavor of kousa ablama bil laban. In addition, non-fat yogurt has a higher protein-to-fat ratio, making it more prone to curdling.
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Consistency: The yogurt sauce should be moderately thick. If it becomes too thick, add a splash of boiling water to thin it out. The consistency should be slightly thinner than shish barak or kibbeh bil laban, since you’ll be serving it with rice and vermicelli.
What Causes the Yogurt to Curdle?
Yogurt tends to curdle when heated, so there are two important factors to consider when cooking shish barak or any yogurt-based dish.
First, you need to increase the yogurt’s stability by adding cornstarch. Some versions also add rice to help stabilize and emulsify the yogurt.
Second, it is crucial to whisk the yogurt continuously in one direction until it comes to a boil. This helps prevent the yogurt from separating and curdling, resulting in a smooth and creamy sauce.
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More stuffed food to learn about
- Kousa Ablama Bil Banadoura, Meat Stuffed Zucchini in Tomato Sauce
- Kousa Bil Laban
- Malfouf Mahshi, Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
- Lebanese Stuffed Zucchini and Eggplants
- Stuffed Zucchini and Grape Leaves
- Authentic Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves
- Sheik El Mahshi, Lebanese Stuffed Eggplants
Kousa Ablama Bil Laban
Description
Ingredients
For the Yogurt
- 2 kg / 4.5 lbs / 2 liters plain whole-milk yogurt
- 6 garlic cloves crushed
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch diluted in 3 cups of water
- Salt to taste
- 2 teaspoons dried mint
For the Meat Filling
- 750 g / 1.6 lbs minced beef or lamb
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup sunflower oil or ghee
- Salt to taste
For the Zucchini
- 1.5 kg small green squash/zucchini
- 1 cup canola oil olive oil, or ghee, for frying the zucchini
- For Garnish
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
Instructions
Make the Meat Filling (Hashweh)
To a large skillet, add the sunflower oil and sauté the pine nuts over medium heat until golden. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside.Add the minced meat to the skillet and cook over medium heat until well browned, about 7–8 minutes. Add the onion, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine, reduce the heat to very low, and cover.Simmer for about 5–7 minutes, until the onion has softened and the liquid in the skillet has evaporated. Add half of the toasted pine nuts and stir to combine.Set aside and allow the filling to cool completely before using.
- Core the zucchini: Wash, scrub, and dry the zucchini. Cut off the stem tips, then gently hollow out the center using a vegetable corer. Try to hollow it out as you would when carving a pumpkin, leaving about 1/3 inch (¾ cm) of flesh around the interior walls.
- Stuff the zucchini: Fill each zucchini by hand with the minced meat stuffing until you reach the top. Pack it firmly, pressing the stuffing down to eliminate any 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 a single layer and cook until golden brown on the bottom, flipping them 2 or 3 times, until lightly browned on all sides. To remove excess oil and ensure the zucchini turns out nice and crisp, let them drain on a paper towel after frying.
- Cook the yogurt: In a large, heavy-based pot, add the yogurt, half of the crushed garlic, and the diluted cornstarch. Whisk well to homogenize the mixture. Place the pot over high heat and continue whisking in one direction. The yogurt requires constant attention to prevent it from curdling, so it is crucial to whisk continuously.
- Submerge the fried zucchini in the yogurt: Once the yogurt comes to a boil, gently add the fried zucchini pieces one at a time. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer uncovered, stirring gently from time to time with a wooden spoon to prevent the zucchini from breaking apart. Cook for 30 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and develop. Taste and adjust the salt according to your preference.
Fry the Dried Mint
In a skillet, heat the olive oil and dried mint over medium-low heat. Sizzle gently, stirring, until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add the mixture to the kousa ablama pot and stir to combine. The fried mint will perfume your kousa ablama with a delectable aroma.- To serve: Transfer to a large bowl or individual soup bowls. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold, straight from the fridge. You can also serve it with rice and vermicelli, though in our house, we enjoy it just by itself.Happy eating!
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