Shish Barak

“Shish Barak” is one of the traditional Lebanese dishes. It’s basically beef dumplings that are cooked in yogurt sauce. Thanks to the wonton wrappers that are widely available in the US supermarkets, this dish is very easy to make.

Ingredients:
Dumplings:
1 lb ground beef
½ cup finely chopped parsley
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tsp all spice powder
1 tsp black pepper
Salt, to taste
One package of wonton wrappers
Sauce:
1 quart of plain yogurt
¼ cup water
1 egg
Salt, to taste
Juice of half a lemon

Preparation:
Heat vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the ground beef with the seasonings and stir until cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 min. Turn heat off and mix in the chopped parsley.
While waiting for the filling to cool, place the yogurt and water in a stainless steel pot and whisk in the egg (it acts as a stabilizer, preventing the yogurt from curdling). Place the pot over medium heat and continue to whisk until the yogurt comes to a boil. Add the lemon juice and turn off the heat.
Fill a small bowl with water to help seal wonton wrappers.
Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of a wonton wrapper. Moisten two fingers with water and run them on the edges of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper over the filling to form a turnover and seal. Moisten the far edges of the turnover and seal together to form a little hat or a tortellini. Continue making the dumpling until finished.
Bring the yogurt to a boil over medium heat and gently add in the dumplings. Stir occasionally to prevent the yogurt from sticking to the bottom of the pan, and cook for 15 minutes until dumpling wrappers are cooked.
Note: If wonton wrappers are not available, you can make your own dough by combining 2 cups of all-purpose flour to ½ cup of water and a dash of salt. Knead the dough adding more water or flour as needed. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Roll the dough very thin and cut into 2-inch squares.

Serves 3-4