Shishbarak (Meat Dumplings in Yogurt Sauce)
Tender dumplings filled with meat and onion in a creamy, tangy yogurt sauce. A slow recipe, but worth every step.
Servings 4
Equipment
- 5 cm cookie cutter
Ingredients
For the filling
- 300 g ground beef
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- ½ tsp Salma’s spice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil for cooking
For the dough
- 2 cups flour
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
For the yogurt sauce
- 1 kg yogurt
- 2 tbsp corn starch (dissolved in 100 ml water)
- ¼ cup cooking cream
T’layeh (final touch)
- 1 tbsp ghee (or butter or vegetable oil)
- 3 tbsp chopped coriander
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
Filling
- Heat oil and sauté onion until soft. Add meat, salt, and Salma’s spice. Cook until no liquid remains. Let cool completely.
Dough
- Combine flour and salt. Gradually add water while kneading until a smooth, soft dough forms. Add oil and knead again. Rest for 15–20 minutes.
- Roll dough to 2mm thickness and cut circles using a 5 cm cutter. Place ½ tsp filling in the center. Fold into a crescent and pinch to seal. Bring ends together to form tortellini shapes. Repeat.
- Place dumplings on a tray and bake at 180°C (355 F) for 7 minutes. Let cool or freeze if desired.
Yogurt sauce
- Whisk yogurt and corn starch mixture until smooth. Heat over medium, whisking constantly, until it simmers. Add cooking cream and stir to combine.
- Gently place dumplings into the sauce. Do not stir until the dumplings are fully booked. Cook for 10–12 minutes or until soft and fully cooked.
- Heat ghee and sauté garlic and coriander for 1–2 minutes. Add to the yogurt just before serving.
- Spoon into bowls and serve with vermicelli rice.
Notes
This recipe makes about 90 dumplings.
Dumplings can be frozen after baking and before adding to yogurt.
The dough should be soft but not sticky—adjust water based on your environment.
Don’t skip the coriander-garlic topping—it’s a flavor essential.