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4.9 from 78 votes

Shish Barak

This authentic Lebanese Shish Barak is a delicious Middle Eastern comfort food of homemade spiced meat dumplings in creamy yogurt sauce.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Resting Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 40 mins
Servings: 9 servings
Calories: 351 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Lebanese

Ingredients

Dough
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup warm water
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Beef Filling
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ pound ground beef
  • ½ small onion minced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 teaspoons 7 Spice
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley plus more for serving
  • 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts plus more for serving
Yogurt Sauce
  • 32 ounce Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons dried mint

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Prepare the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, mix the flour, water, olive oil, and salt until it forms a smooth, springy ball, 5 to 7 minutes. Cover and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  2. Make the beef filling. Heat the olive oil in a medium size pan over medium heat. Add the ground beef and onions, and cook, breaking up the ground beef with the back of a spatula until it is minced and browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, season with 7 spice, salt and pepper, and cook until fragrant, 2 more minutes. Fold in the parsley and pine nuts. Set aside.
  3. Cut the dough. Lightly flour a flat surface and use a rolling pin roll the dough flat about ⅛-inch in thickness, about 16x16 inches wide. Use a small 2-inch cookie cutter or round object to cut the dough into discs. You can roll the remaining dough pieces and make more discs from it.
  4. Make the dumplings. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Add about 1 teaspoon of the beef filling into the piece of dough and fold over into a half moon shape. Pinch the two ends together to close into a tortellini shape. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Bake in the preheated oven until the dumplings are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
  5. Prepare the yogurt sauce. Whisk together the yogurt, water, cornstarch, salt, and dried mint in a large pot with no heat until there are no more clumps. Once the mixture is well combined, turn the heat to medium and stir frequently until the mixture starts to thicken, about 10 minutes. It will continue to thicken as it cooks with the dumplings.
  6. Assemble and serve. Add the baked dumplings into the yogurt sauce and cook until the dumplings start to float to the top, about 10 minutes. Ladle the dumplings with the sauce into bowls, garnish with pine nuts and mint.

Notes

  • Storage: Allow the shish barak to cool down to room temperature and transfer to an airtight container to store in the fridge up to 3-4 days.
  • To reheat: Simmer in a pot on the stove over low heat until heated through. Avoid cooking on high heat as it may scorch the yogurt sauce and cause it to separate and burn. 
  • To freeze uncooked dumplings: place on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the freezer. Allow them to freeze completely, up to 1-2 hours, before transferring to a ziptop bag and storing in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
  • To freeze cooked dumplings: Follow the same steps for freezing after baking, allow them to cool completely first.

Nutrition Information

Calories 351kcal (18%) Carbohydrates 40g (13%) Protein 13g (26%) Fat 15g (23%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 8g Trans Fat 0.2g Cholesterol 29mg (10%) Sodium 721mg (30%) Potassium 323mg (9%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 5g (10%) Vitamin A 320IU (6%) Vitamin C 2mg (2%) Calcium 141mg (14%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 9servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 351

% Daily Value*

Calories 351kcal 18%
Carbohydrates 40g 13%
Protein 13g 26%
Fat 15g 23%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 8g 40%
Trans Fat 0.2g 10%
Cholesterol 29mg 10%
Sodium 721mg 30%
Potassium 323mg 7%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 5g 10%
Vitamin A 320IU 6%
Vitamin C 2mg 2%
Calcium 141mg 14%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.