Levantine Shish Barak in Yogurt Sauce
Two things make the difference: brown the dumplings in the oven before the yogurt goes in (they hold their shape and taste deeper), and stabilise the yogurt with cornflour and an egg, stirring in one direction until it boils so it does not split.
- Prep
- 80 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 115 min
- Calories
- 470
Shish barak is one of the best-known Levantine dishes, made for special occasions. Little hat-shaped dumplings filled with meat, cooked in yogurt with garlic and mint. The shaping takes time, but they freeze beautifully.
Method
-
1
The dough
Knead the flour, salt, oil and water for 8 minutes into a soft dough, and cover for 30 minutes.
⏱ 40 min -
2
The filling
Brown the onion and minced meat with the spices, cinnamon and salt until the moisture has gone, then add the pine nuts. Let it cool completely.
⏱ 18 min -
3
Shape
Roll the dough thin and cut small rounds (4 cm). Put a chickpea-sized piece of filling on each, fold into a half-moon and seal, then wrap the two ends around your finger and pinch them together — the hat shape.
⏱ 30 min -
4
Brown in the oven
Arrange the hats on a tray, brush with oil, and bake at 200°C for 12 minutes until browned. This step is what keeps them intact in the yogurt.
⏱ 14 min -
5
Prepare the yogurt
Whisk the yogurt while cold with the cornflour, egg, water and salt until perfectly smooth with no lumps.
⏱ 5 min -
6
Bring it to the boil
Pour it into a pot over medium heat and stir constantly in one direction until it boils. Do not stop stirring before it boils.
⏱ 12 min -
7
Cook
Once boiling, add the browned dumplings and simmer gently for 12 minutes.
⏱ 13 min -
8
The garlic finish
Heat the ghee with the garlic until fragrant, add the coriander and mint, and pour it over the dish, stirring once.
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Tips that actually matter
- Brown the dumplings in the oven first — they hold together and the flavour is deeper.
- Whisk the cornflour and egg into cold yogurt — into hot yogurt they lump.
- Stir constantly in one direction until it boils — after that the yogurt is stable.
- They freeze raw beautifully — shape a big batch and freeze them on a tray first.
People also ask
Why did my yogurt split?
You stopped stirring before it boiled, or you left out the cornflour, or the yogurt was low-fat. All three need to be right: full-fat yogurt, cornflour and egg, and constant stirring.
How is it different from Turkish manti?
Manti are much smaller, boiled in water, with cold yogurt poured over. Shish barak are larger, hat-shaped, and cooked in the yogurt itself.
Can I make it without meat?
Yes — a cheese or potato-and-onion filling. The vegetarian version is common during fasting days.
Cook mode
Levantine Shish Barak in Yogurt Sauce
-
1
The dough
Knead the flour, salt, oil and water for 8 minutes into a soft dough, and cover for 30 minutes.
-
2
The filling
Brown the onion and minced meat with the spices, cinnamon and salt until the moisture has gone, then add the pine nuts. Let it cool completely.
-
3
Shape
Roll the dough thin and cut small rounds (4 cm). Put a chickpea-sized piece of filling on each, fold into a half-moon and seal, then wrap the two ends around your finger and pinch them together — the hat shape.
-
4
Brown in the oven
Arrange the hats on a tray, brush with oil, and bake at 200°C for 12 minutes until browned. This step is what keeps them intact in the yogurt.
-
5
Prepare the yogurt
Whisk the yogurt while cold with the cornflour, egg, water and salt until perfectly smooth with no lumps.
-
6
Bring it to the boil
Pour it into a pot over medium heat and stir constantly in one direction until it boils. Do not stop stirring before it boils.
-
7
Cook
Once boiling, add the browned dumplings and simmer gently for 12 minutes.
-
8
The garlic finish
Heat the ghee with the garlic until fragrant, add the coriander and mint, and pour it over the dish, stirring once.
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