Kousa Bil Bandora Savory Stuffed Zucchini Recipes

KOUSA MIHSHI BI LABAN (STUFFED ZUCCHINI WITH YOGURT)

Steps:

• Choose either medium or small zucchini. Wash well cut of stem end. Using a corer hollow out zucchini leaving rounded end intact. (I actually use the wrong end of a small spoon and it works for me) Try not to puncture the skin. Soak in salted water for 10 minutes.
• Gently fry onion in butter until transparent. Add pine nuts after 10 minutes cook with onions for another 10 minutes, stir occasionally.
• Add pan contents to ground meat, rice parsley, spice and about a teaspoon of salt, pepper and canola oil if meat is lean.
• Fill zucchini with stuffing. (The rice expands and the meat will shrink so fill them all the way).
• Arrange zucchini in layers in a large pot, sprinkling each layer lightly with sea salt. Add water and invert a plate on top of the zucchini and bring to a slow simmer, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour or until tender.
• Meanwhile heat the stabilized yogurt. When it begins to simmer/boil, add garlic and boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
• When zucchinis are cooked, remove plate and pour garlic yogurt mixture over them and leave over medium heat for 10 minutes to boil gently. Cook uncovered until sauce is thick.
• Crush the dried mint to a coarse powder and sprinkle on top. Leave off the heat for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with mashed potatoes or steamed rice.
• Enjoy!

KOUSA BI LABAN

Steps:

• For the stuffed zucchini: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the ground top round and ground lamb and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, Lebanese seven spices, cinnamon, cardamom, 1/2 cup of the pine nuts and the parsley and stir gently. Set aside to cool.
• Cut the stem off the top of the zucchini. Using a vegetable corer or small spoon, core the zucchini by gently removing the center while leaving the sides intact. Fill the center of the zucchini with the filling, packing to make tight and leaving a 1/2-inch space between the filling and the top.
• Add the vegetable oil to a large skillet over medium heat and fry the zucchini for a few minutes, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the zucchini to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
• Arrange the stuffed zucchini side by side in a large pot of simmering water. Sprinkle with salt, reduce the heat and cover. Cook until the zucchini is tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 20 minutes. Remove the zucchini and reserve the cooking liquid.
• For the yogurt sauce: Place the yogurt in a medium high-sided skillet over medium heat. Whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch mixture to the yogurt and cook, stirring, until it begins to steam, about 5 minutes. Add the white pepper and sea salt. Add 3 spoonfuls of the reserved zucchini cooking liquid. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 3 minutes.
• Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and dried mint and cook while stirring until browned, about 3 minutes. While stirring, add the garlic mixture to the yogurt and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Carefully drop the partially cooked zucchini in the yogurt sauce and continue cooking until completely done, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 cup pine nuts on top to garnish. Serve hot with vermicelli rice.
• Heat the vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Drop the vermicelli noodles into the pan and stir every few seconds until they are browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a towel-lined plate.
• Bring 2 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the rice, noodles, the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the sea salt. Stir together, cover, reduce the heat to low and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.

SYRIAN STUFFED ZUCHINI IN YOGURT SAUCE (KOUSA BI LABAN SOUREE)

Steps:

• In a small frying pan, fry the pine nuts and almond slivers together until they turn brown on medium heat. They will burn very quickly, so be extra vigilant. Drain them onto a paper towel when browned. This step should take about 5 minutes.
• In a larger or the same frying pan as before, brown the ground meat until thoroughly cooked. You may season it with salt and pepper or seasoning salt if desired. Once thoroughly cooked, add the nut mixture and stir well. This step should take about 20 minutes. Use this time to start boiling a large pot of water.
• Once the meat mixture has cooled enough, stuff each zuchini as full as possible without breaking them, especially if some were poked through during the coring process. Stuff all of the zuchinis. This step should take about 20 minutes.
• In a large frying pan, add some cooking oil on medium heat. When hot, add the zuchinis and fry them until they start to brown, turning so both sides are more brown than green. You will know when they are done. This should take about 15 minutes.
• Directly after browning, add zuchinis to the waiting pot of hot water, about an 8 quart pot. If your pot is not big enough, you can do them in batches. Boil them for 10 minutes then transfer to a plate. Some meat mix may come loose, this is normal.
• To make the yogurt sauce, mix one container of yogurt, one egg, half cup of milk and one tablespoon of corn starch in a blender. Pour into an 8-qt non-stick pot. Repeat with second container of yogurt.
• Cook yogurt sauce on medium heat, stirring quickly and constantly until the sauce thickens. Add 1 crushed beef buillon cube. You will know the sauce is done when it begins to stick to the pan and coats your stirring spoon. DO NOT LET IT BOIL! Salt to taste. This step should take about 15 minutes.
• Add the zuchinis to the yogurt sauce and let them cook on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. Again, no boiling.
• Now for the rice. Add the butter or ghee to a 3-qt or larger pot. Heat just until the butter begins to melt and add the vermicelli noodles and stir until all noodles are coated. Turn up the heat until they begin to fry and turn brownish in color. This should take about 7 minutes.
• Add the white rice to the pot and stir to ensure even distribution of the noodles and rice. From here on out, follow the directions on the bag of rice. If you are going to salt it, do so when you add the water. This step should take about 25 minutes.
• Serve in a nice serving bowl and enjoy!

KOUSA BIL BANDORA (SAVORY STUFFED ZUCCHINI)

Steps:

• Clean the zucchini. Cut one end and make a hole through the zucchini, leaving 1/4 inch at the end, taking all the seeds from inside.
• Mix meat, rinsed and drained rice, dash of salt, pepper and cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons finely chopped onions.
• Stuff the zucchini with the meat mixture. Fry them with 2 tablespoons shortening till lightly brown.
• Add tomato, chopped and sauce, and more water just till covered. Let boil.
• Reduce heat to medium. Cover and let cook till done, about 30 minutes. If some of the stuffing is left, add it to the sauce before cooking.
• Serve with pita bread.
• From "One Thousand And One Delights" by Nahda Salah.
• available through International Promoters of Art Inc.