Shish Barak with Vermicelli Rice

These Middle Eastern homemade meat-stuffed dumplings cooked in yogurt and served with vermicelli rice are to die for! They are the ultimate comfort food and every minute that goes into making these are well worth it.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

To make the dough in a large bowl mix all the ingredients listed above and knead for a good 7-8 minutes until a soft and supple dough comes together

Step 2

Cover it with a cloth and let it rest for minimum 20 minutes. Meanwhile prepare your dumpling filling.

Step 3

Place the ground chicken in a large bowl, along with all the additions for the filling: Mix all the ingredients together until everything is well combined

Step 4

Place a good amount of the filling in the middle of a round rolled dough. Fold it in half to seal the filling and to make the shape stick both the edges of the circle together like a tortellini. Follow the same method with the rest of the dumplings

Step 5

Cook the dumplings in batches. (We are using the gyoza method to cook these dumplings to get a contrast in textures but you can simply steam it or bake it with some oil as it’s done traditionally.)

Step 6

Heat a non-stick frying pan with 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Fry the dumplings on one side only – don’t turn them over, you just want one crispy side. They should be golden brown after about 2 mins.

Step 7

Add around 1/3 cup water to cover the bottom of the pan and cover with a steaming lid or a large sheet of foil with a few holes poked in the top. Cook over medium heat for 5-7 mins until the water has evaporated and the filling is cooked through. Set aside while you cook the rest. Once all the water has absorbed cook on low for another 2 minutes to get the bottom crispy again.

Step 8

For the yogurt sauce simply whisk all the ingredients listed above before cooking it on low until the sauce thickness and comes to a boil. Make sure to continuously whisk the sauce while it cooks or you will end up scrambling the egg yolks.

Step 9

The consistency of the sauce should be thick enough to coat the dumplings. Once your sauce is smooth and silky let it come to room temperature before keeping it in the fridge to cool or the freezer if you are in a pinch.

Step 10

The sauce will thicken a little more as it chills so if you want to lighten it a little just add a couple tbsps of milk to adjust it again

Step 11

Transfer the washed and drained rice over the cooked vermicelli, and stir to combine and coat the rice with the olive oil. Season with salt and zataar powder (optional)

Step 12

Add water and bring the mixture to a boil. The water will reduce in the process. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes.

Step 13

When the rice is fully cooked, remove from the heat and allow the rice to steam for 5 minutes. Top up with parsley

Step 14

Cook the butter and garlic in a small saucepan until lightly golden on medium low heat. To this add the toasted pine nuts and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Step 15

Take it off the heat and add the rest of the listed ingredients. Mix it well to combine and top it while it’s hot on the cold yogurt sauce just before serving

Step 16

Section one part of each serving bowl for the rice and in the other part add the dumplings and pour the yogurt sauce on top to completely cover them. Top it with hot chilli butter pine nuts and enjoy!