Ujja Ma Laban Recipes

LABAN (YOGURT)

Steps:

• Heat milk on low heat until it almost comes to a boil (you don't want it to boil over or burn on the bottom of the pot).
• Immediately remove from heat and cool until lukewarm. Add 4 tbs of milk to the yogurt and stir until smooth.
• Stir the yogurt into the milk and pour milk into a plastic or glass container and wrap in a heavy blanket. Store in a warm place until it thickens (about 6 hours), then refrigerate.

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.

LABAN UMMO

Steps:

• Put the meat in a large pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, remove any scum, and add salt and pepper. Cook with the lid on for 1 hour.
• Add the onions and cook for 1/2 hour more, or until the meat is very tender and the onions are soft, adding water to keep the meat covered at first and letting it reduce, uncovered, so that most of it has evaporated at the end and there is hardly any broth left.
• Prepare the yogurt by mixing with egg white, or the cornstarch dissolved in a little water, following the directions for stabilizing yogurt on page 113, to prevent it from curdling during cooking. Add it to the cooked meat, stir in the garlic if using, and simmer gently, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, adding a little salt. Stir in the mint, if using, towards the end.
• Some cooks pass round a little bowl of dried mint for people to help themselves if they wish.
• Use 6 small lamb shanks instead of the cubed meat, and cook them until they are so tender that the meat falls off the bone.
• For an Egyptian version, add 5 cardamom pods to the meat and onions from the beginning. Just before serving, fry 4 crushed garlic cloves with 1 tablespoon ground coriander in 2 tablespoons butter or oil, until the garlic just begins to color, and pour over the meat and yogurt as you serve.
• A Turkish version has a large bunch of chopped dill added towards the end of the cooking.

UJJA MA LABAN

Steps:

• Whisk together the eggs, salt, pepper and yogurt cheese. Set aside.
• Melt the butter over medium-low heat then pour in the egg-yogurt mixture.
• Stir lightly for about 1 1/2 minutes or until just barely cooked I always undercook eggs because they will still cook off heat. Our gas stove top is very efficient and the eggs were done to my liking in less than 2 minutes.
• Plate the eggs and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with the spearmint leaves; sprinkle of za'atar or sumac. If you don't have either of those spices, garnish with paprika.