Sheikh Al-Mahshi

The "King of Stuffed Dishes." Tender baby zucchinis stuffed with a rich filling of spiced minced meat and pine nuts, gently simmered in a creamy, velvety yogurt sauce. A truly elegant and flavorful classic.

🥄 Ingredients

• For the filling:
• 750g lean ground beef
• 1/2 bunch chopped parsley (optional)
• 2 medium onions (350g) (optional)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp seven-spice mix
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp ghee for cooking the meat
• 100g pine nuts (if available)
• For the zucchini and yogurt sauce:
• 2 kg small zucchini (as small as possible)
• 2 kg 10% full-fat yogurt
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 cups boiling water, or more depending on the desired thickness of the yogurt sauce
• Oil for frying the zucchini

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. How to prepare the zucchini before adding it to the yogurt sauce:
2. Wash the zucchini thoroughly to remove any dirt. Hollow out the zucchini slightly, removing the first core and then another thin core. The zucchini should be about 1 cm thick, without leaving a thick base.
3. Chop the onion and add a tablespoon of ghee or oil. Sauté the onion briefly, then add the meat and stir. Break the meat into pieces, cover, and cook over low heat for 1.5 hour. Add the seven-spice mix, black pepper, salt, and pine nuts, and let it cool.
4. Once the meat has cooled, stuff the zucchini and fry them in oil or ghee until golden brown.
5. How to prepare the yogurt sauce:
6. In a deep bowl, place the yogurt and sprinkle the flour over it. Start stirring with a hand whisk in one direction over high heat until it boils. Add two cups of boiling water to the yogurt and continue stirring until it boils again. Drop the fried zucchini into the yogurt sauce and let it simmer for 15 minutes until the zucchini is cooked through.

🌹 Decoration

Sprinkle dried mint or chopped parsley on top.