Sheikh el Mahshi
If you like small zucchini, you’ll love this Middle Eastern dinner — 60 minutes from craving to table.
✓ USDA-verified nutrition data
637 calories
35g protein
32g carbs
43g fat
3g fiber
Ingredients
- 8 Small zucchini
- 1 lb Ground lamb
- 1/3 cup Pine nuts
- 3 cups Plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 Egg
- 1 Onion
- 1 tbsp Baharat
Steps
- Hollow the zucchini with an apple corer, leaving sturdy walls — pierced shells leak their filling into the sauce.
- Brown the lamb with onion, baharat, and pine nuts into a rich hash; stuff each zucchini firmly.
- Whisk the yogurt with cornstarch and egg until perfectly smooth; bring to a bare simmer, stirring constantly, until it thickens — the starch and egg armor it against splitting.
- Nestle the stuffed zucchini into the yogurt sauce and simmer gently 20 minutes until tender.
- Never let the sauce boil; a rolling boil curdles even stabilized yogurt.
- Serve over rice with the silky yogurt sauce ladled generously.
- “The sheikh of stuffed dishes” — the yogurt sauce elevates humble zucchini to royalty.