Shish Barak
Spiced meat dumplings baked until golden, then simmered in a silky yogurt soup and finished with a garlic, pine nut, and mint topping. A Syrian dish carried and kept alive in my Armenian family's kitchen.
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Servings: 8
Equipment
- Large skillet, for the meat filling
- Large pot, for the yogurt soup
- Whisk
- Baking sheet, lined, if baking the dumplings
- Small frying pan, for the garlic, pine nut, and mint topping Or use the same skillet you used for the meat filling.
Ingredients
For the dumplings:
- 1 pound ground meat lamb or beef
- 1 ½ cups finely chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley optional
- 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons seven spice baharat
- Round dumpling or wonton wrappers
For the yogurt soup:
- 4 cups plain yogurt
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
For the topping:
- 3 tablespoons oil
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint chopped
Instructions
Make the dumplings:
- Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the chopped onion until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ground meat and cook until fully browned, breaking it apart as it cooks.
- Stir in the salt, pepper, parsley, and seven spice, and cook until fully combined and any liquid has evaporated. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Spoon a small amount of filling into the center of each wrapper, fold in half, and press the corners together to seal. Bake at 375°F for 10 to 15 minutes, until just beginning to turn golden.
Make the yogurt soup:
- Whisk the cornstarch, water, and cold yogurt until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the salt until smooth.
- Place over medium heat and whisk constantly, without stopping, until it reaches a full boil.
- Lower the heat slightly and gently add the baked dumplings. Simmer, stirring occasionally and gently, for about 10 minutes, until heated through and starting to float.
- In a small pan, sauté the garlic in oil until just starting to turn golden, add the pine nuts and toast until light golden, then stir in the mint for the final 30 seconds. Pour over the soup and serve hot.
Notes
Whisk constantly while the yogurt comes to a boil. Stopping too early is the most common reason the sauce splits.
Freezes well at the raw or baked dumpling stage, before adding to the sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 390kcal