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Shesh Barak - Tortellini in cooked yoghurt

dina bayoud kohl
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 4 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine Lebanese
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • for the dough
  • 350 g sifted flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 80 ml sunflower oil
  • 150 ml lukewarm water
  • for the filling
  • 350 g minced beef meat
  • 1 medium onion 125 g, peeled and finely chopped
  • 4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
  • 500 ml sunflower oil for deep frying
  • for the yoghurt
  • 2 litres full fat yoghurt
  • 750 ml cold water
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 ½ teaspoon salt
  • 40 g rice rinsed and soaked in cold water for 30 minutes, drained, optional
  • 30 g butter
  • 6 small garlic cloves peeled and crushed
  • ½ teaspoon crushed dried mint crushed over the cooked yoghurt to release their oils and essence

Instructions
 

  • For the dough: Mix the flour and the salt in the bowl. Add the oil and the water and knead well for about 5 minutes until it is smooth and malleable. If you feel it is a bit dry, wet your fingertips with little water and continue kneading. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
  • Combine the ingredients of the filling in the bowl.
  • Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a 30 cm long rope. Cover the ropes with a towel while making the tortellini. Cut one roll into 2 cm pieces. Hold one piece between your fingertips and stretch it into a 6 cm round. Place 1 teaspoonful of the filling in the centre of the round, fold it till the ends meet forming a half-moon and pinch the ends to completely close. Now fold both ends to make a tortellini. Repeat procedure.
  • Heat the oil in the medium pot over high heat. Gently drop the shesh barak in 4 to 5 batches and deep fry over moderate to high heat for about 5 minutes or until golden brown in colour. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
  • For the yoghurt: Whisk the yoghurt, the water, the egg white, the corn starch, the drained rice and the salt in the large pot. Cook the yoghurt over moderate to high heat; whisking all the time and always in the same direction to keep yoghurt from curdling, for about 20 minutes or until it boils once.
  • Heat the butter in the frying pan over moderate heat and sauté the garlic for one minute. Stir garlic into the yoghurt and cook over moderately low heat for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the crushed dried mint and serve hot.
  • Serving: add some cooked yoghurt and some shesh barak into a soup plate and eat hot.

Notes

All images and text © Dina Bayoud Kohl for Dina’s Kitchen