Kousa bil laban/ zucchini in yogurt

Kousa Bil Laban literally translates to zucchini in yogurt! The recipe starts with zucchini that are hollowed out and are stuffed with a flavor-packed filling of rice and meat, the zucchini are poached in water, drained then simmered to perfection in a fragrant garlicky yogurt sauce.
Yogurt based dishes are one of my favorite foods, and a bowl of kousa bil laban is ultimate comfort food to share with family. Stuffed zucchini simmered in a garlicky yogurt sauce, and flavored with a light dusting of dried mint, is a Lebanese classic that never goes out of style – comfort food at its best.

Begin by selecting the right type of zucchini. Try to put your hands on small-medium Lebanese zucchini no longer than 7 inches/17 cm, and sometimes called Mexican grey squash, their pale green skin is smooth and shiny, are ideal to make stuffed kousa bil laban/ zucchini in yogurt; they taste great and hold their shape without getting soggy while cooking.

Link to the printable recipe on the blog: https://hadiaslebanesecuisine.com/blog/?p=7932

2 Kgs Zucchini known as Mexican squash
1 cup short-grain rice
250 gram/ 8 oz minced lamb or beef
1 teaspoon sevenspice/ allspice
A pinch of freshly grated white pepper
4 tablespoons sunflower oil
For the yogurt:
12 cups homemade laban/ yogurt or ready bought plain whole milk yogurt
3 cups of zucchini broth
2 large garlic heads crushed
4 heaping tablespoons cornstarch diluted in 1/2 cup of water
1 tablespoon dried mint
Salt to taste

More Lebanese yogurt based dishes on our channel:
Shish Barak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC2slIDJPWw
Kibbeh Labanieh: https://hadiaslebanesecuisine.com/blog/?p=4536

yogurtbased dishes are one of my favorite foods and a bowl of kusa bil laban is ultimate comfort food to share with family Stuffed zucchini simmered in a garlicky yogurt sauce and flavored with a light dusting of dried mint A Lebanese classic that never goes out of style Comfort food at its best Begin by selecting the right type of zucchini Try to put your hands on small to medium Lebanese zucchini no longer than 7 in and sometimes called Mexican gray squash Their pale green skin is smooth and shiny and are ideal to make stuffed kusab lean or zucchini in yogurt They taste great and hold their shape without getting soggy while cooking Wash scrub and dry the zucchini Cut off the stem tips and gently hollow out the center with the vegetable corer You need to hollow out the zucchini with a vegetable cer called manara A utensil used in the Middle East to core up the pulps of some vegetables like zucchini and eggplants Try to hollow just like you’re carving a pumpkin hollow out the center and leaving one/3 inch around the interior wall and maybe more if you manage doing that without poking the zucchini It’s simple but still it’s a skill that needs a bit of practice to master it Let’s make another one to show you exactly the way and one/3 one Our zucchini are hollowed Now to make the stuffing In a bowl mix together the rice that has been rinsed and drained minced meat olive oil and seasoned with seven spice and some white pepper and salt Now your filling is ready Mix well together to homogenize everything well And you can use beef or lamb And it’s advisable to use short grain rice Now using your finger stuff each zucchini with a rice and meat filling and leave about 1/4 in of space at top allowing the expansion of rice as it cooks It’s important not to over stuff Continue with the rest in the same manner While Kusa Leban looks laborious to make in terms of preparation it’s a fun project and wait until you taste the flavors And for a time-saving strategy you can split the work in two stages Stage one hollow stuff and boil the zucchini and drain Cover the zucchini with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day or two Stage two simmer the zucchini in a garicky yogurt sauce the day you need to serve it Now secure each zucchini with a flesh of the hollowed interior of the zucchini Adjust to create a barrier preventing the filling from leaking out Transfer to a large pot and gently add the water almost covering the zucchini Sprinkle with salt Bring to a boil Reduce heat to low Cover up and leave it for 20 minutes to cook Drain the zucchini and save the broth It’s a brilliant idea to save the vitamins and nutrients in the zucchini and broth Strain the broth dilute corn starch and water And to a large pot add the yogurt Here we’re using plain yogurt garlic three cups of the zucchini broth diluted corn starch and whisk well to homogenize the mixture Place over high heat and continue whisking in one direction The yogurt needs attention to avoid it from curdling It’s crucial to whisk the yogurt constantly until the mixture comes to a boil Just like all yogurtbased dishes once the mixture boils gently add the strained zucchini one at a time Dust with dried mint Stir gently to avoid breaking the zucchini pieces Take a bite to adjust salt to your liking Reduce heat to medium low and keep it simmering uncovered for something between 45 minutes to 1 hour allowing the zucchini to cook through and the flavors develop together The fragrant garlicky yogurt sauce is to die for Now our meal is ready Transfer to a large bowl or to individual soup plates Serve warm or at room temperature Cover leftovers and when totally cooled down refrigerate Double the quantity and you will have plenty to pack away for leftovers which is a great thing you can do for yourself The yogurt will thicken up a bit upon refrigerating but the flavors will keep great I’ll provide you with a link to the printable recipe on the blog in the description box And now let’s taste the fruits of our labor My kitchen smells so inviting This is what’s called comfort food at its best I hope you enjoyed this episode Give me a thumbs up and follow If you do I would really appreciate your support [Music] So good So so good So satisfying