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recipe for Shish Barak
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5 from 4 votes

Shish Barak Lebanese Dumplings in Yogurt

Shish barak is Lebanese dumplings with mint yogurt. This recipe is tayta's recipe for how to make shish barak from scratch.
Servings: 6

Ingredients

Dumpling Dough

  • 2 cups flour
  • ½ cup water lukewarm
  • ¼ cup oil
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon yeast
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Meat Filling for the Dumplings

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ½ lb ground beef
  • 2 medium onions
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ cup pinenuts optional

Yogurt Mint Sauce

  • 4 cups yogurt
  • 2 cups water mixed with 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon short grain rice
  • 1 tablespoon dried mint
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Dumpling Dough

  • Mix the flour with the salt, sugar, and yeast. Add the egg and vegetable oil. Combine everything together.
  • Gradually start adding water until the dough becomes non-sticky and quite soft.
  • Roll into a ball, set in the center of a glass bowl. Cover the dough with cling film and a kitchen towel. Let it rest for at least one hour.

Prepare the Meat Filling

  • Heat up the butter and add the chopped onions until fragrant and cooked up.
  • Add the ground meat and spices and cook until the meat is browned.
  • Sprinkle with the pine nuts if using and then set the filling aside.

Make the Dumplings

  • Knead the dough and roll it out into a thin layer. Use a cookie cutter to make circle cuts in the dough.
  • Fill each circle with a teaspoon of the meat filling (make sure not to over-fill them).
  • Use your fingers to close up the dough and form a sort of a half moon shape. After that, fold both sides of the shape around your index finger and pinch it together. (The final shape looks a little bit like tortellini).
  • Heat up a tablespoon of butter in a saute pan and half-cook the dumplings until they turn golden brown. Set them aside.

Simmer the Dumplings in Yogurt

  • Strain the yogurt in the pot you're going to use during the cooking process. Then add in the water and cornstarch mixture and whisk everything really well.
  • Turn the pot to medium low heat and slowly bring the yogurt to a boil while stirring constantly (about 20 minutes). Once the yogurt is boiling, turn the heat to low.
  • Add in the dumplings, dried mint, and rice. Continue simmering the dumplings in the yogurt sauce for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Video

Notes

  1. It's better to serve this dish after it cools down and not while it's still sizzling hot.
  2. Substitute minced lamb for minced beef.
  3. Use whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour, or a mixture of both.

Nutrition

Serving: 1½ cups | Calories: 436kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 61mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g