Shish Barak
Meat Dumplings Simmered in Warm Garlicky Yogurt
Shish barak is a labor of love shared across the Levant, tiny hand-folded dumplings of thin dough wrapped around spiced minced meat and onions, baked until their little caps turn golden, then lowered into a warm bath of yogurt scented with garlic and mint. The name comes from the Turkish for meat dumpling, and in Palestinian kitchens the dish belongs to unhurried afternoons when many hands sit around the table pinching the dough into shape. What sets it apart from other stuffed pastas is the sauce, a stabilized cooked yogurt (laban) that stays silky and never curdles when you treat it gently. Served hot over a little rice or on its own with a shower of toasted pine nuts, it is deeply comforting and worth every minute of the folding.
Method
Make the dough. In a bowl, stir together the flour and 1 teaspoon salt, then add the 2 tablespoons olive oil and enough warm water to bring it together. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic, adding a little flour only if it stays sticky. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Make the filling while the dough rests. Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the chopped onion until soft and lightly golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the ground meat and break it up, cooking until it is browned and no liquid remains, about 8 minutes. Stir in the seven-spice, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, filling salt, and pepper, then fold in the 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts. Take off the heat and let it cool.
Roll and cut the dumplings. Divide the rested dough in half and roll each piece very thin, about 1/16 inch, on a floured surface. Cut out rounds with a small cutter or glass about 2 inches across, gathering and re-rolling the scraps.
Fill and fold. Place about 1/2 teaspoon of the cooled filling in the center of each round. Fold the dough over into a half-moon and pinch the edges tightly to seal, then bring the two corners together and press to make a small tortellini shape. Set the finished dumplings on a floured tray.
Bake the dumplings. Heat the oven to 400 F and arrange the dumplings on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until firm and lightly golden on top. This step keeps them from falling apart in the sauce and adds a toasty flavor.
Prepare the yogurt sauce. In a wide heavy pot, whisk the cornstarch into the water or broth until smooth, then whisk in the yogurt, egg white, and sauce salt until fully combined with no lumps. Whisking in the egg white and cornstarch while everything is still cold is what keeps the yogurt from splitting once it heats.
Cook the sauce gently. Set the pot over medium-low heat and stir constantly in one direction with a wooden spoon as it warms. Keep it moving without rushing until it comes to a slow, gentle simmer and thickens enough to coat the spoon, about 10 to 12 minutes. Do not let it reach a hard boil, which would cause it to curdle.
Simmer the dumplings. Slide the baked dumplings into the simmering yogurt and cook gently, stirring now and then, for 10 minutes, until they are tender and have soaked up some of the sauce.
Make the garlic finish. In a small pan, warm the ghee or olive oil over medium heat and cook the minced garlic until fragrant and just golden, about 1 minute, then stir in the dried mint (or cilantro) and cook another 30 seconds. Pour this over the yogurt and stir it through.
Serve. Ladle the shish barak into bowls, on its own or over a little rice, scatter with the toasted pine nuts, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve hot.
Cook’s notes
- Keep the heat at medium-low and never stop stirring while the yogurt comes up to temperature, since a rolling boil is what makes it curdle.
- Roll the dough as thin as you can so the dumplings stay delicate; if it springs back, let it relax a few minutes before cutting.
- The filled dumplings freeze well raw on a tray, then bagged, so you can make a big batch and bake them straight from frozen.
- For a Palestinian touch, use tangy goat or sheep yogurt, or dissolve a piece of dried jameed for the sauce instead of fresh yogurt.
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