Levantine cuisine · Dough, Pasta & Rice

Shish Barak

Small dumplings filled with ground lamb and pine nuts, served in a simmering garlic-mint yogurt sauce.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 300 g flour
• 300 g ground lamb
• 1 onion
• 40 g pine nuts
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 kg yogurt
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp dried mint
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Knead the flour with 1 tsp salt, 3 tbsp olive oil and 150 ml lukewarm water into a smooth, soft dough and let rest, covered, for 30 min.
2. Finely dice the onion and sauté in 1 tbsp olive oil until translucent, add the ground lamb and cook until crumbly, then stir in the pine nuts, allspice, cumin, salt and pepper and let cool.
3. Roll the dough out very thin, cut out 6 cm circles, place 1 tsp of filling on each, fold into half-moons and pinch the two corners together into small tortellini shapes.
4. Arrange the dumplings on a baking sheet and bake at 200°C for 10-12 min, until the tips are pale golden - this keeps them from falling apart in the sauce later.
5. Stir the yogurt with the cornstarch (mixed with a little water) and salt, bring to a boil while stirring constantly, and keep stirring for 5 min once it boils, until the sauce is thick and glossy.
6. Let the dumplings simmer in the sauce for 5 min; heat the chopped garlic in the remaining olive oil with the dried mint for 30 seconds, pour over and serve immediately.