Mahshi Kousa Recipes

KOOSA MAHSHI (SYRIAN STUFFED SQUASH) RECIPE - (5/5)

Steps:

• Soak rice in a bowl to extract some starch, at least 30 minutes, then rinse and drain until water runs clear of starch. Remove squash stems and discard. Use a corer to core inside of squash. Take care not to puncture sides or bottom. For a decorative touch, use a vegetable peeler to remove thin vertical stripes of skin. In a bowl, gently knead together drained rice, ground meat and allspice, plus generous amounts of salt and pepper. Gently fill each squash about three-quarters full with meat-rice mixture. Avoid compressing mixture too much, so rice has room to expand as it cooks. To cook, select a lidded deep pot in which squash will fit snugly, nestled in upright. Line bottom of pot with lemon slices. Arrange squash in pot, upright with opening on top. Add enough water to cover squash, a generous amount of salt and enough lemon juice so mix is distinctly sour as well as salty. If necessary, place a plate over squash to keep them submerged. Cover pot, bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and let simmer 30 minutes. Mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. Add to pot along with dried mint. Simmer until rice is fully cooked and squash is tender, 30-45 minutes more. Carefully transfer squash to a serving platter, reserving ½ cup cooking liquid. To serve, stir a few tablespoons cooking liquid into yogurt to thin and warm it. Season with additional salt to taste. Serve yogurt sauce alongside squash. Garnish with mint leaves, if you like.

MAHSHI KOUSA

Steps:

• Wash the zucchini and slice off the stem end. With a long, narrow apple or vegetable corer (they are long and thin and you find them in Arab markets), make a hole at this end of each vegetable and scoop out the pulp, being careful not to break the skin and not to break through the other end, which must remain closed. This is done by digging in gently and giving a sharp quick twist before pulling out the pulp. It is a skill that is acquired with a little practice. Keep the pulp for a stew or salad.
• Prepare the filling in a bowl. Fill each zucchini two-thirds full only, to allow room for the rice to swell. There is no need to block the openings.
• Lay a few thin slices of tomato in the bottom of a large, deep saucepan. Place the stuffed zucchini side by side in layers on top of the tomatoes. Mix the tomato paste with 1 1/4 cups water and the juice of 1 lemon and pour over the zucchini. Add more water if necessary to cover the zucchini. Cover the saucepan and simmer very gently for about 45 minutes, or until the zucchini are soft.
• Crush the garlic cloves with a little salt. Mix with the mint and the remaining lemon juice, sprinkle over the zucchini, and continue cooking for a few minutes longer. The mint is added at the end, because prolonged cooking tends to spoil the taste.
• For Syrian stuffed zucchini with tamarind, add 2-3 tablespoons tamarind paste (see page 46) and 2 tablespoons sugar to the 1 1/4 cups water and bring to the boil, stirring, until the tamarind is dissolved.
• Iranians favor the filling with yellow split peas on page 313, and serve the zucchini topped with yogurt.
• For mahshi cousa bi banadoura, cook the zucchini in the following tomato sauce: Fry 1 large chopped onion in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil until golden. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves, and when it begins to color add 1 pound peeled and chopped tomatoes, season to taste with salt and pepper, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

KOUSA MAHSHI (STUFFED MARROWS)

Steps:

• Hollow from one end of the marrows with an apple corer or a small spoon leaving about 1/4 inch thick shell all around.
• Wash them thoroughly and dry.
• To make the stuffing, mix the ingredients for the stuffing in a bowl, add a little oil, 1/2 tsp allspice and season with salt and pepper.
• Stuff the marrows upto three-quarters full (do not fill to the brim as the mixture will expand when cooking and leak out).
• In a large casserole or saucepan, first oil the base, then place the sliced tomatoes at the bottom of the pot.
• Sprinkle crushed garlic on top and then layer the stuffed marrows.
• Season with remaining half of the spices and oil.
• Mix the tomato paste with the vegetable stock and pour into the pot to cover the stuffed marrows.
• Cover the marrows with a plate or something similar to hold them down lightly to keep them in place while cooking so the stuffing doesn't run out.
• Put the pot to cook on high heat and bring it to a boil.
• When it comes to boil, lower the heat and simmer gently for 1 hour.
• Uncover and simmer to thicken sauce, if needed.
• Serve hot.

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!