Kousa Mahshi (Stuffed Zucchini) RECIPE

Is there anything more appetizing than Kousa Mahshi (Stuffed Zucchini)? It's one of the most famous and delicious Arabic dishes. There are many ways to prepare the filling of zucchini. In this recipe it stuffed with rice, meat, spices, and cooked with tomato sauce. All ingredients are easy to find in your kitchen.

Ingredients

Zucchini 5.5 lbs (2.5 kg)

For the Filling

1.5 cup short grain rice

1 teaspoon turmeric

4 tablespoons corn oil 

0.880 lbs (400 gr) minced meat 

1 teaspoon black pepper 

1 teaspoon allspice mix 

2 1/2 teaspoon salt 

For the Tomato Sauce

7 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

1 teaspoon salt 

20 g chicken stock powder 

2 cups water 

Instructions

1. First, trim the koosa. Cut the stem end of the koosa low enough to remove any bend in the koosa and to create a flat top. Slice the very tip of the round end off as well.

2. Hollow out the koosa using a Lebanese koosa corer or zucchini corer, leaving about 1/4-inch perimeter inside the koosa (it's quite hollow; be careful not to make the interior too thick). Don't worry if you poke through a koosa, it can still be used! Discard the cores or save for another use (the Lebanese like to drain the cores and cook them with eggs, ijjeh).

2. Bring a deep dish, put water and 3 tablespoons of salt, then stir to dissolve the salt. Rinse zucchinis with salty water.

3. Prepare the filling: In a deep dish, add rice, turmeric, corn oil, minced meat, black pepper, mixed spice, and salt. Mix the ingredients well.

4. Stuff three quarters of the zucchini with the rice mixture and gently pushing the filling into the cavity. Be sure to leave at least 1/4-inch headroom with no filling at the top of the koosa, otherwise once the rice cooks and expands it will fall out of the koosa.

5. Place the zucchini in a large pot.

6. Prepare the tomato sauce: Put in the electric mixer tomatoes, tomato paste, black pepper, salt, chicken broth powder, 2 cups of water. Turn on the mixer for one minute, until the ingredients are mixed well.

7. Pour the tomato sauce over the zucchini.

8. Cook over medium heat for one hour until the koosa is tender.

9. Place the zucchini in a serving dish and serve hot with the cooked tomato sauce.