Kousa mahshi (mahshi meaning stuffed in Arabic, kousa the Levantine word for the small pale grey-green zucchini variety developed in Syrian gardens) is one of the defining preparations of Lebanese and Syrian home cooking. The mahshi tradition encompasses stuffed grape leaves, stuffed aubergine, stuffed peppers, stuffed cabbage leaves, and stuffed onions, but kousa mahshi is perhaps the most beloved: the pale, tender kousa acts as the perfect vessel, its walls thin enough to cook through completely while holding the filling with structural integrity. The filling (short-grain rice, minced lamb, allspice, cinnamon, and black pepper, raw or lightly sautéed) expands as it cooks, absorbing the fragrant braising liquid and perfuming the zucchini from within. The dish is simmered in a tomato broth or in laban (cooked yogurt sauce) for the version called kousa bil laban; each household in Lebanon and Syria has its preferred method and its mother's particular spice ratio, passed down through generations without written record. Kousa mahshi was carried by Lebanese emigrants to South America in the early twentieth century, where it became one of the defining dishes of the substantial Arab diaspora communities of Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia: a journey that mirrors in miniature the larger displacement and transplantation of Levantine food culture across the world.
Ingredients
Main
8 small kousa zucchini (or small pale-green zucchini, about 12cm long each)
Filling
200 g minced lamb
100 g short-grain white rice, rinsed
1 tsp ground allspice
0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
0.5 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp fine salt
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Tomato Broth
2 medium ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
600 ml water or light chicken stock
1 tsp salt
0.5 tsp allspice
To Serve
fresh mint and plain yogurt, to serve
Method
Prepare the zucchini: cut off the stem end of each zucchini. Using a long thin corer (a special kousa corer is ideal, otherwise a sturdy apple corer or a sharp thin knife), hollow out each zucchini from the stem end, leaving walls about 5mm thick. The hollow should run the full length of the zucchini without piercing the base. Reserve the scooped flesh for another use (it is excellent added to omelettes or soup).
Make the filling: combine the minced lamb, rinsed rice, allspice, cinnamon, black pepper, salt, and melted butter in a bowl. Mix well with your hands until thoroughly combined. The raw rice will cook inside the zucchini, absorbing the meat juices; do not pre-cook it.
Fill each hollowed zucchini with the rice and lamb mixture, packing it gently to three-quarters full. Leave a small space at the open end. Plug the opening loosely with a small piece of raw tomato or simply leave it open; the filling will not fall out once the zucchini is upright in the pot.
Prepare the tomato broth: whisk together the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, water or stock, salt, and allspice in a pot large enough to hold the zucchini upright in a single layer. Bring to a boil.
Arrange the stuffed zucchini upright in the pot, open end up, leaning them against each other for support. The broth should come at least halfway up the zucchini. Bring back to a simmer, then cover tightly and cook over low-medium heat for 45–50 minutes, until the zucchini is completely tender when pierced with a knife and the rice filling has fully cooked through.
Carefully lift the kousa from the pot using tongs or two spoons, trying to keep each one upright so the filling does not fall out. Serve on a platter with the reduced tomato broth spooned over, garnished with fresh mint, and with cold yogurt alongside.
Alternatively, serve in the Lebanese style: ladle each zucchini into a deep bowl, spoon plenty of the broth around it, add a spoonful of cold plain yogurt directly into the broth, and scatter mint over. Eat with Arabic flatbread to scoop up the broth.
Notes
The pale grey-green kousa variety (also sold as 'grey squash' or 'Lebanese zucchini' at Middle Eastern grocers) has thinner walls and milder flesh than the standard dark green Italian variety, making it ideal for this dish. If unavailable, use the smallest, youngest Italian zucchini you can find; large mature ones will be too watery. The scooped flesh is a bonus: freeze it for soup, or mix with egg, flour, and herbs and fry as fritters.
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