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Key Ingredient
Stuffed zucchini recipe (kousa mahshi)
- Cuisine: Lebanese
- Prep Time: 20 min(s)
- Cook Time: 1 hr(s) 15 min(s)
- Serves 4–6
The best zucchini to use is the small, slightly bulbous, pale green variety often sold as Lebanese zucchini. Hollow out the zucchini using a manakra - a tool like a long apple corer designed for this purpose; you can find them in Middle Eastern food stores. To adapt this recipe for vegetarians, use chickpeas instead of minced beef.
Ingredients
Stuffing1 cup long-grain rice, washed
250 g lean minced beef
1 medium tomato, finely diced
½ onion, finely diced
⅓ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
⅓ cup chopped mint
⅓ cup chopped coriander
¼ tsp chilli powder
1 tsp baharat or allspice
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp salt
20 g butter, softened
2 tbsp olive oil
10 small Lebanese zucchini, approximately 10 cm long
salt
2 heaped tbsp tomato paste
natural yoghurt
Preparation
Thoroughly mix the stuffing ingredients together.Cut off the zucchini stalks, then slice off the dried tips at the opposite ends without removing too much flesh. Carefully hollow out the zucchini from the stalk end by pushing and turning a manakra into the flesh. The tool will remove thin fingers of flesh at a time; keep hollowing until you have a generous cavity (reserve the zucchini flesh for another purpose such as an omelette). Fill a bowl with water and add a teaspoon of salt. Wash the zucchini in the salted water (this helps to keep them firm when cooking), then drain.
Fill each zucchini with the stuffing, leaving 1 cm free at the top to allow the filling to expand. It’s easiest to fill the zucchini by hand, tapping them on the bench every now and then to settle the stuffing down. If you have any leftover stuffing, form it into meatballs.
Fill a large saucepan with water and add 2 tablespoons of salt and the tomato paste. Add the stuffed zucchini and any meatballs and bring to the boil. Simmer over low heat for about 1 hour, allowing the sauce to reduce. Serve the stuffed zucchini with a little of the sauce and a dollop of yoghurt.
SBS cook’s notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55–60 g, unless specified.
If you enjoyed this Stuffed zucchini recipe (kousa mahshi) then browse more Lebanese recipes, side dish recipes and our most popular hainanese chicken rice recipe.
Lebanese Restaurants
Displaying 10 of 134 Lebanese Restaurants.
| Restaurant | Book Online | Suburb | |
| 1. | El Bahsa | Newtown | |
| 2. | No No's | Red Hill | |
| 3. | Abla's | Carlton | |
| 4. | Almazett | Caulfield North | |
| 5. | Dunyazad | Balwyn North | |
| 6. | Kanzaman | Richmond | |
| 7. | Samsara | Mt Waverley | |
| 8. | Summerland | Bankstown | |
| 9. | Almustafa | Glebe | |
| 10. | El-Manara Lebanese Restaurant | Lakemba |
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