Levantine cuisine · Dough, Pasta & Rice

Fatayer bi Kousa

Dough parcels with squeezed-out zucchini, mint and onions, freshly seasoned with lemon.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 500 g flour
• 1 packet dry yeast (7 g)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 280 ml lukewarm water
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 800 g zucchini
• 2 onions
• 1/2 bunch mint
• 1 lemon
• 1 tsp sumac
• Pepper

Instructions

1. Mix the flour, dry yeast, sugar and 1 tsp salt, knead with the lukewarm water and 3 tbsp olive oil for 8 min. into a soft dough and let rise covered for 1 hr.
2. Coarsely grate the zucchini, mix with the remaining salt, let sit for 20 min. and then squeeze out very firmly by hand in batches — the filling must be almost dry, otherwise the dough will turn soggy.
3. Very finely dice the onions and combine with the squeezed zucchini, the finely chopped mint, sumac, the juice of half a lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil and pepper.
4. Divide the dough into 18 balls and roll each into a circle about 10 cm across, then place 1 heaped tbsp of filling in the center of each.
5. Pull the circles up to the middle on three sides, seal the seams firmly into triangles and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment; brush with 1 tbsp olive oil.
6. Bake in the oven preheated to 200 °C for 20–22 min. until the parcels are golden brown, then drizzle with the remaining olive oil and serve lukewarm with wedges of the remaining half lemon.