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Shish Barak filled with beef topped with tasty pine nuts in delicious creamy yogurt sauce.

Shish Barak - Dumplings in Yogurt

Fatimah
A labor of love but absolutely delicious. You can make this delicious meal ahead by freezing the Shish Barak dumplings and just adding them to the sauce when ready to be enjoyed.
5 from 3 Ratings
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Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Middle Eastern

Ingredients
  

For the Dough

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup warm water
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For the Filling

  • ¾ pound 80/20 lean ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 tablespoons ghee
  • 1 teaspoon 7 spice
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

For the Yogurt Sauce

  • 4 cups whole milk plain yogurt
  • 1 cup labneh for slight tang
  • 1 tablespoon bullion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 cups cold water Add more depending on how thick or runny you like the yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons parsley or cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon dried mint

Instructions
 

For the Dough

  • Start by mixing the flour, water, and salt, and knead together until a ball forms.
  • Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour. It will not rise or fluff as there isn't any yeast or baking soda.

For the Filling

  • Add the oil and ghee to your pot or skillet. Add the finely diced onion and sauté until fragrant and translucent.
  • Add the beef and sauté until browned, making sure to break it apart as you go to make it fine.
  • Add the spices and cook until the beef is fully cooked and browned, about 7-10 minutes.
  • Once done, add in the toasted pine nuts (if using) and set aside to cool.
  • Once the filling is cooled, you are ready to fill.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Roll out the dough on a floured surface, and roll it out as thin as possible without making it paper thin.
  • Take something small and circular (a cookie cutter, or an Arabic coffee cup) and cut circles all around the dough.
  • Take one small circle from your cut dough, and stuff it with the beef filling until you are able to close it into a half circle, like an empanada or Qatayef.
  • Pinch both ends of the half-moon dough together to make the shape. They should look similar to tortellini or pelmeni.
  • Place onto a sheet pan with parchment paper and bake until some color, for about 12-15 minutes.

For the Yogurt Sauce

  • Add the yogurt, labneh, water, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, and bullion powder to a pot and whisk well before adding it to the stove to make sure the cornstarch is well dissolved.
  • Whisk on medium high heat for about 10-15 minutes until it is bubbly. The yogurt will not break if mixed continuously.
  • Add the Shish Barak and stir.
  • Let it cook for about 15 minutes on medium low so the Shish Barak softens.
  • Fry the garlic and parsley or cilantro in some oil until golden, and add on top of the yogurt.
  • Add some dried mint and mix well.

Notes

  • You can place the dumplings on a sheet pan with parchment paper and bake until golden brown.
  • You can substitute the yogurt for dried fermented yogurt after crushing it and soaking it in hot water, then blending it with water before adding it to the remaining yogurt.
  • Labneh gives a slight tang but you can omit it.
  • You can also omit parsley or cilantro. 
  • Broil the Shish Barak for extra color.
Keyword Arabic Dish, Dumplings, Meat Dumplings, Shish Barak
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