Shish Barak is Lebanon’s answer to ravioli. It is often served with yogurt and plenty of coriander.
6 SERVINGS
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups (473 ml) flour
- 2/5 cup (95 ml) water
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 5.3 ounces (150 g) finely ground lamb
- Salt
- 3 tablespoons sliced onion
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- About 1 cup (200 g) cooked chickpeas (or canned)
- 10.6 ounces (300 g) lamb meat in small cubes
- About 2 cups (60 g) chopped coriander leaves
- 1 cup (237 ml) beef stock
- About 4 1/4 cups (1 L) plain yogurt
- 2/5 cup (51 g) cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons whole pine nuts
- 12 hollow kibbeh
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix flour with water and a tablespoon of oil. Work together into a dough. Roll out the dough and cut out circles, about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. Place a little bit of ground lamb and salt on each circle and pinch into small bundles, so-called shish barak.
- Put them on a greased baking sheet and bake in the oven at 400°F (200°C) until they are golden brown.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Fry the onion until it has become translucent and soft. Add half of the garlic.
- Add the drained chickpeas and the diced lamb a few minutes later. Cover with a lid and simmer.
- Pour half the coriander along with the broth after 10 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to simmer.
- When about a quarter of the broth has evaporated, add the yogurt and stir.
- Mix the cornstarch in 1 cup of cold water and pour a little bit at a time into the yogurt blend while stirring, until the sauce is moderately thick. Season with salt.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the other half of the coriander leaves with the rest of the garlic and pine nuts.
- Serve the shish barak bundles with yogurt sauce, rice, and kibbeh (i.e., kibbeh mkabkabeh). Garnish with the coriander blend. You can also place the bundles in the sauce.
