Authentic Shish Barak From Scratch (Dumplings in Yogurt Sauce)
Shish Barak are small dumplings made from unleavened dough, filled with a seasoned ground beef or lamb mixture and simmered in a savoury yogurt sauce. The filling is cooked with onions and flavoured with warm middle eastern spices, and the yogurt sauce is garlicky and often garnished with dry mint or cilantro. This levantine dish is a popular comfort food, but certainly not for weeknights. This authentic labour intensive dish is made from scratch but worth every minute!
- Prep time
- 1 hr 30 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 360 g all-purpose flour (approx. 3 cups)
- 1 tablespoon sugar (granulated)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 cup warm water (up to 1 cup, see notes) (plus more if needed)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large red onions (finely chopped)
- 350 grams ground beef (80/20) (or mix of lamb and beef)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sumac (or 4 teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon seven spice
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 4 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (divided)
- 1.5 litres plain yogurt
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (more per preference)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 head garlic (minced)
- 1 cup cilantro (chopped, plus more for serving (or replace with parsley or dry mint))
Instructions
- 1
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour, water, olive oil, sugar and salt until it forms a smooth ball, about 5 minutes. Or knead by hand for 10 minutes. If the dough is sticky, add a dusting of flour and continue to knead until smooth. Cover and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- 2
Heat up the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef along with the salt, black pepper, sumac and seven spice. Cook until browned, about 7 minutes. Fold in the pomegranate molasses and the half pine nuts. Set aside to cool.
- 3
After 30 minutes the dough should be light, stretchy and tender. Cut in half. Flour your countertop and roll the dough flat to a thin layer. Use a 2-inch cookie cutter or a small coffee cup to cut the dough into circles.
- 4
Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 5
Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of the beef filling into the circular piece of dough and fold over into a half moon shape.
- 6
Pinch the edges tightly to ensure it is sealed.
- 7
Then, overlap the two ends together, making it look like a tortellini.
- 8
Place the dumplings onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, then broil for 3 minutes until lightly browned.
- 9
In a large pot, add the yogurt, water, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk until no clumps are seen. It's important to whisk while the yogurt is cold, before turning the heat on.
- 10
Turn the heat to medium and stir frequently with a whisk until the mixture starts to thicken, about 10 minutes. Do not bring the yogurt to a boil. Just heat it through to a gentle simmer.
- 11
In a small skillet, melt the butter over low heat and saute the garlic and cilantro until fragrant.
- 12
Pour the garlic, cilantro and butter over the yogurt and whisk to incorporate.
- 13
Add the baked dumplings into the yogurt sauce and simmer in the sauce for 10 minutes. No need to cook for longer since the dumplings are already baked.
- 14
Serve the shish barak in bowls, with the yogurt sauce, garnished with the reserved pine nuts and more fresh cilantro.