A traditional Levantine recipe, Shish Barak is a type of small dumpling that looks very similar to tortellini. It's filled with a minced meat filling, beef in this case, cooked in a tangy yogurt sauce, and topped with garlicky adha. This is the ultimate comfort food and well worth the time needed to prepare it.
For some more delicious traditional recipes from my family kitchen, try my tabbouleh salad, classic vermicelli rice, and make your own 7-spice mix (which you'll need for this recipe, and many others).
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What is Shish Barak?
A spiced meat-filled dumpling, cooked in yogurt sauce and topped with adha, it's a recipe that's hundreds of years old and is often considered to be typical Middle East comfort food. These little dumplings are made with an unleavened wheat dough. Adha is similar to Indian tarka, with garlic, pine nuts, and spices tempered in olive oil.
This is a commonly served dish across the Levant, and while the meat dumplings are similar to those seen in various food cultures worldwide, serving it in the yogurt sauce is more specific to the region.
Turkish manti, for example, are very much like shish barak but are boiled and then topped with yogurt and garlic, rather than being cooked in the yogurt sauce.
Shisk barak has been part of Levantine cuisine for hundreds of years, with the earliest known written version appearing in the 15th century. Variations of the dish are found all across central Asia and as far north as Siberia, called shush barak, joshpara, and chuchvara, among other names.
Ingredients
Often filled with lamb, my version is made with ground beef which is easier to find in standard grocery stores. If you can't find 7-spice, either make your own with my 7-spice recipe or buy it at a Middle Eastern grocer (see substitutions below).
- Beef: substitute an equal amount of ground lamb for the beef if preferred, or use a mix of the two. For a vegetarian option, a vegan ground meat alternative can be used. Pork is never used.
- 7-spice (baharat): if you can't get or make it, substitute equal parts cumin, cinnamon, and ground coriander.
- Yogurt: lower fat 2% plain or classic yogurt is ideal for this recipe. Thicker yogurt like Greek yogurt can be used, but should be thinned with water. Make sure it's plain, unsweetened yogurt. If you're a fan of yogurt based recipes, try my fattet hummus too.
- Parsley: substitute an equal amount of cilantro for parsley. Cilantro is considered traditional by some, but I prefer parsley.
- Dumpling dough: if you want to make this recipe a little easier, you can sub wonton or gyoza wrappers in a pinch rather than making your own homemade dough.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step by Step
More time-consuming than difficult, this is a recipe you'll want to set a couple of hours aside to make. Consider doing it as a weekend project.
1. Make the filling: cook the onion and garlic, then add the beef and cook for about 5 minutes before adding the pine nuts and spices (Images 1 and 2). Continue cooking until any liquid has evaporated, then stir in the parsley and set aside to cool (Image 3).
2. Mix the dough: In a large bowl combine the dough ingredients and mix until a shaggy dough forms (Image 4).
3. Knead the dough: knead on a lightly floured worktop until a smooth, pliable dough forms, about 5 minutes. Cover and let the dough rest for 15 minutes (Image 5).
4. Roll out the dough: roll the dough out into a thin sheet using a rolling pin, then cut circles out using a small round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, re-rolling any scraps to get as many circles as possible (Image 6).
5. Add the filling: add 1 teaspoon of the meat stuffing to the middle of the dough circle (Image 7).
6. Fold and seal: fold over and seal the edges with your fingers so you have a parcel, like an empanada or half moon (Image 7).
7. Pinch together: take each end of the parcel and pinch them together to form a shape similar to a tortellino (Image 7).
8. Broil the shish barak dumplings: optionally, place the dumplings on a lined baking sheet and brush with vegetable oil (Image 8). Broil for 7-10 minutes, or until light golden brown (Image 9).
9. Make the yogurt sauce: blend the ingredients for the sauce and add to a large pot or saucepan on medium-low heat. Bring to a very gentle simmer, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk (Images 10 and 11).
10. Cook the dumplings: add the dumplings to the yogurt mixture and cook for 5-8 minutes on medium-low. The dumplings will float to the top when they're cooked (Image 12).
11. Make the adha: to make the garlic topping, add the olive oil and garlic to a frying pan or small skillet and cook until the garlic is lightly golden. Add the pine nuts and cook for another minute, then remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.
12. Assemble and serve: transfer to a large serving dish or bowl or serve in individual dishes, topped with the adha and optional chili flakes.
How to Store
Storage: this is best served fresh and shouldn't be stored in the fridge for more than a day. If you want to store the dumplings for a longer time, freeze them as directed below.
Freezing: to freeze the dumplings, follow the recipe up to the broiling step. Partially cook the dumplings in the oven as directed, then cool fully and place into a freezer bag or airtight container. To use, make the yoghurt sauce and cook the dumplings from frozen in the sauce. They will last for 3 months in the freezer.
Expert Tips
- Knead by hand: the dumpling dough is too small of an amount for a stand mixer. If you don't want to knead by hand, you'll have to double the dough recipe in order to knead it with a mixer.
- Use a small food processor. If you wanted to save time, you can make the dough in a small food processor, but be careful not to over-process or the dough will turn out gummy.
- Cool the filling: make the meat filling in advance so that it has time to cool before being added to the dumpling dough. If it's still hot, it will soften the dough and cause tearing.
- Keep stirring: the yogurt will burn to the bottom of the pan if not stirred frequently while it's cooking, stay close to the stove.
- Too thick? If the yogurt sauce consistency is too thick, add a splash of warm water to it to thin it down. The consistency should be somewhere between a brothy soup and a chowder.
- Serve hot or cold: shish barak is just as good cold! It can be served chilled, rather than hot, if you have some leftovers or feel like a more refreshing meal.
Recipe FAQs
It originated in the Levant and is made in Levantine countries (Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Jordan).
The first known written record of the recipe dates back to the 1400s, appearing in Kitab al-Tibakha, an Arabic cookbook from the period, but the dish almost definitely existed before it was written down. It's at least 600 years old.
Adha is common throughout the Levant, and is garlic cooked in oil with various other aromatics like cumin and coriander. It's a typical finishing element to a savory dish.
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Recipe Card
Shish Barak (Meat Dumplings in Yogurt Sauce)
Ingredients
Meat Filling
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- ½ White onion - Finely Chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves - peeled and finely minced
- ½ lbs Ground beef - Lean or extra lean
- 2 tablespoon Pine nuts
- 1 teaspoon Baharat (7-Spice) - Sub equal parts of cumin, coriander and cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup Parsley - Finely chopped
Dumpling Dough
- 3 cups All purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon Vegetable oil
- ¾ cup Water - Use more or less to get a smooth pliable dough
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Yogurt Sauce
- 4 cups Plain yogurt - 2% plain
- 1 Egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon Corn starch
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Garnish (Adha)
- 3 tablespoon Olive oil
- 3-5 Garlic cloves - Finely minced
- 2 tablespoon Pine nuts
- ¼ cup Fresh parsley - Finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper flake - Optional
Instructions
- Filling. In a frying pan set on medium-high heat, add the olive oil, chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the ground beef and cook for 4-6 minutes. Add the pine nuts, 7-spice, paprika, ½ teaspoon of salt and fresh cracked pepper. Continue stirring until fragrant and any remaining liquid is evaporated and the beef is cooked. Remove from the heat and add the chopped parsley and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Set aside to cool.
- Mix the Dough. In a bowl, combine the flour, vegetable oil, water and salt. Mix using a fork or your hands until the dough comes together. It will be shaggy.
- Knead the Dough. Transfer to a floured counter and knead for 4-6 minutes until you have a smooth and pliable dough. Cover the dough ball with a towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Roll the Dough. Roll the dough ball into a thin sheet on your work surface using a rolling pin, until you reach a thickness of about ⅛". Using a glass, cup, or cookie cutter, cut out circles that are about 3" in diameter. Re-roll any scraps and continue cutting out as many circles as you can.
- Add Filling. Add 1 teaspoon of the meat filling to the middle of the dough circle.
- Fold and seal: Fold over and seal the edges with your fingers so you have a parcel (like a mini empanada or half moon).
- Pinch together: Take each end of the parcel and pinch them together to form a shape similar to a tortellino. Go over the edges again with your fingers to make sure the dumplings are well sealed.
- Broil the dumplings. This step is optional but recommended as it adds another layer of flavor. On a baking tray lined with parchment paper, add the dumplings in a single layer. Spray them with cooking oil or brush them with olive oil. Broil them in the oven for 7-10 minutes, until lightly brown. Careful, don’t burn them. At this point, you can continue with the recipe or cool and freeze the dumplings to enjoy another day.
- Yogurt Sauce. In a blender, add the yogurt, egg yolk, cornstarch and salt. Blend until smooth. Transfer the yogurt sauce to a medium pot and warm on medium-low heat. Make sure to keep stirring and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. This should take 5-8 minutes and the sauce should thicken slightly. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, you can dilute it slightly with some water. Don't be tempted to turn up the heat, it may cause the sauce to split.
- Combine. Add the dumplings to the hot yogurt sauce and cook for 5-8 minutes. Since the dumpling filling is already cooked, you just want to make sure the dough is cooked at this point. The dumplings are ready when the wrapper is soft and the center is warmed through.
- Garlic topping (adha). In a small frying pan, add 3 tablespoon olive oil and chopped garlic. Set the pan on medium-high heat and fry until the garlic just starts to brown, 2-3 minutes. Add the pine nuts and continue to fry for another 1 minute. As soon as the pine nuts begin to brown, turn off the heat. Add the chili flakes, if using. Carefully add the chopped parsley (it will splatter), stir everything together and set the frying pan aside.
- Garnish and serve. You can serve the shish barak in a large serving bowl or divide it into smaller bowls. Garnish with the garlic topping.
Notes
- Beef: substitute an equal amount of ground lamb for the beef if preferred, or use a mix of the two. For a vegetarian option, a vegan ground meat alternative can be used.
- 7-spice (baharat): if you can't get or make it, substitute equal parts cumin, cinnamon, and ground coriander.
- Yogurt: lower fat 2% plain or classic yogurt is ideal for this recipe. Thicker yogurt like Greek yogurt can be used, but should be thinned with water. Make sure it's plain, unsweetened yogurt.
- Parsley: substitute an equal amount of cilantro for parsley. Cilantro is considered traditional by some, but I prefer parsley.
- Dumpling dough: if you want to make this recipe a little easier, you can sub wonton or gyoza wrappers in a pinch rather than making your own homemade dough.
- The yogurt sauce may split. Be careful and never use high heat to warm the sauce. Low to medium heat and continuously stir to avoid splitting.
- The dumplings aren't sealing. You can use a small bit of water to help you seal the dumplings.
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