Go Back
Print

Kousa bil laban (zucchini in yoghurt sauce)

Zucchini stuffed with meat, rice and herbs cooked in a warm yoghurt sauce

Course Main Course
Cuisine Lebanese
Keyword Authentic, Classic, Dinner Party
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 8
Author Zaatar and Zaytoun

Ingredients

  • 2 kg light green zucchini
  • 1 large bowl of water with sliced lemon

For the stuffing

  • 250 g ground meat lamb or beef
  • 1 cup short grain rice
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon 7 spice
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • small handful parsley finely chopped
  • few mint leaves finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • small drizzle mild olive oil

For the yoghurt sauce

  • 1500 g plain yoghurt
  • 1 tablespoon cornflour
  • ½ cup short grain rice optional
  • 2 cups zucchini water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2-3 garlic cloves chopped
  • small handful cilantro fresh coriander, chopped
  • slightly salted butter
  • ½ teaspoon dried mint
  • small handful lightly toasted pine nuts

Instructions

To prepare the zucchini

  1. Wash the zucchini well, remove the tops
  2. Using a corer, hollow out the insides of the zucchini leaving around a half centimetre margin. Set aside the cores to close the zucchini later
  3. With a serrated knife, lightly score the outsides to make grooves on the zucchini skin
  4. Add to a bowl of water with some sliced lemon to prevent browning

To prepare the stuffing

  1. Wash the rice and soak in some water for around half an hour. Then drain the rice and add to a large mixing bowl

  2. Add the ground meat, parsley, mint, onion, seven spice, black pepper, salt and mild olive oil. Mix well and set aside

To stuff the zucchini

  1. Prepare a deep pan that will fit all the zucchini in comfortably. Take a small handful of the stuffing and gently fill the zucchini leaving around 2cm near the top for the cooked rice to expand. Do not compress the filling too tightly
  2. Stuff the ends with the zucchini cores. Place in the deep pan and cover with water and 1 teaspoon of salt
  3. Bring to the boil and cook for 25 minutes on medium low heat. Remove the zucchini onto a plate and save the zucchini water for later.

To make the yoghurt sauce

  1. Soak the rice in water for about 20 minutes
  2. Rinse the rice under the tap until the water runs clear. Then add the rice to 2 cups of boiling water and simmer in a large pot until cooked (approx 20 minutes) stirring occasionally
  3. In a bowl, add the cornflour and salt to the yoghurt, stir well then press through a fine sieve over the rice
  4. Raise the heat to a medium high and keep stirring so the bottom doesn’t burn, bring to the boil then lower the heat and keep on a low simmer, continuously stirring for around 10 minutes

  5. Loosen the yoghurt sauce with around 2 cups of the zucchini water from before. Mix well

  6. In a separate small pan, sauté the chopped garlic and coriander in 1-2 tablespoons of the butter for a few minutes, then add to the yoghurt sauce along with the dried mint. Mix well, then taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary
  7. Transfer the zucchini and simmer for around 50 minutes until the zucchini is done. Taste one before you turn off the heat.

  8. Serve in a shallow bowl with the yoghurt sauce. You can also top with browned butter and lightly toasted pine nuts (see notes).

Recipe Notes

To make the brown butter, add 2-3 tablespoon in a small pan and swirl on low heat until it starts to foam and the butter turns amber

Lightly toast the pine nuts in a dry pan on the small hob until lightly golden. Pay attention not to burn

The extra rice in the yoghurt sauce is optional. If you do include, make sure to stir the bottom of the pan often to prevent sticking