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Shish barak
Lamb dumplings in garlic yoghurt
Shish barak: little lamb dumplings baked, then simmered in garlic-coriander yoghurt
Shish barak is a labour of love that Lebanese grandmothers turn into a family afternoon: everyone sits round the table pinching hundreds of tiny dumplings filled with spiced lamb and onion. The dumplings are baked until lightly golden, then dropped into hot yoghurt sauce, and the bowl is finished with garlic and coriander fried in butter. It is rich, tangy and deeply comforting, served on its own or with plain rice. Common mistake: rolling the dough thick — it should be thin enough to see the board through, or the dumplings turn stodgy. Chef's tip: baking the dumplings before they go into the sauce sets their shape and adds a toasty flavour; you can freeze them at this stage.
- Total time
- 115 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 10 ½ oz plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¾ cup warm water
For the filling
- 12 ½ oz lamb mince
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 1 oz pine nutstoasted
- ¾ tsp salt
For the yoghurt sauce
- 2 ¼ lb full-fat plain yoghurt
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 oz butter
- 5 cloves garliccrushed
- ⅞ oz fresh corianderfinely chopped
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, ½ tsp salt, 2 tbsp olive oil and ¾ cup warm water and knead for 5 minutes into a smooth, soft dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
35 minStep 2: Fry 12 ½ oz lamb mince and 1 onion in a dry pan over a medium-high heat, breaking up the meat, for 10 minutes until browned and cooked through with no pink. Stir in 1 oz pine nuts, 1 tsp Lebanese seven-spice (baharat) and ¾ tsp salt and cool.
10 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Roll the dough very thinly on a floured board and cut into 5 cm rounds.
Step 4: Put half a teaspoon of filling on each round, fold into a half-moon and press the edges firmly. Then bring the two corners together around your finger and pinch to make a little hat shape.
Step 5: Set the dumplings on an oiled tray and bake for 10–12 minutes until lightly golden and firm.
12 minStep 6: In a large pan, whisk 2 ¼ lb full-fat plain yoghurt, 2 tbsp cornflour, 1 ¼ cups water and 1 tsp salt. Stir constantly in one direction over a medium heat for 10–12 minutes until it comes to a gentle simmer and thickens a little.
12 minStep 7: Add the dumplings and simmer gently for 8–10 minutes until the dough is tender and the filling piping hot (at least 160°F).
10 minStep 8: Melt 1 oz butter in a small pan and fry 5 cloves garlic for 1 minute, add ⅞ oz fresh coriander for 30 seconds until it darkens, then stir into the pan. Serve hot.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shish barak take?
- About 115 minutes in total: 75 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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