Orange Blossom Water

The idea of Shesh Barak is similar to Kibbeh Labniyeh. In Shesh Barak, Mini Sambousek is prepared and cooked in yogurt sauce.

Let’s make Shesh Barak:

Before talking about the method of cooking Shesh Barak, I’ll tell you some information about the yogurt itself.

In Syria, we have special yogurt we name it “Laban Arabi” which is made from sheep milk, and we have “Laban Baqari” which is made from cow milk. In cooking, we use only “Laban Arabi” which is from sheep milk. If you want to cook yogurt sauce, and you have yogurt made from cow milk so this yogurt is not from sheep milk i,e not “Laban Arabi”, Please see what will happen during cooking ! Look at these pictures (A, B and C) and read carefully.

A. This yogurt is not “Laban Arabi”, when you add it to the pot and turn on heat, and stir it, it curdles and this is not good for making the yogurt sauce.

B. This is the same yogurt I used in “A”, but here combine yogurt + cornflour (cornstarch), then turn on heat and stir, so it doesn’t curdle, and that’s what we want for cooking.

C. This is “Laban Arabi”, In the pot there is only “Laban Arabi”. Turn on heat and stir, the result that it doesn’t curdle and that’s what we want for cooking.

The conclusion:

If you use “Laban Arabi” which is from sheep milk, you don’t need the cornflour (cornstarch), or any other thing, the yogurt itself is perfect for cooking.

If you use other type of yogurt, you need to add cornflour (cornstarch) to prevent curdling. In picture “B”, I used 3/4 cup yogurt + 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch).

Let’s make Shesh Barak:

1. Crush garlic and set aside (we will use this in the “Taqliyeh steps”).

Mini Sambousek

Dough

2. Combine flour, yeast, salt, corn oil, and warm water. Knead to form a nice soft dough, and let it rest for two hours.

Filling

3. Finely chop onion, add salt to chopped onion, then rinse with water and strain.

4. Heat 1 tbsp  ghee and saute onion until transparent, then set aside.

5. Finely chop walnuts.

6. Heat 1 tbsp ghee, and add walnut and keep until golden in color, then remove, drain on paper towel and set aside.

7. Heat 1 tbsp ghee.

8. Add meat.

9, 10. Once the meat is cooked, add chopped onion.

11. Add walnuts to meat, add salt and pepper and stir for few seconds then turn off heat, (Note the meat should be completely cooked before adding walnuts, when you cook meat, there’s water comes from the meat, but this water during cooking evaporates, so once this happen and the meat is completely cooked and no water remains you can add walnuts).

12. Filling is ready.

13. After two hours, bring the dough, and knead it.

14. Transfer to a floured surface.

15. Roll out the dough, and cut into small circles.

16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. Follow the pictures (16 – 22) to fill and shape the dough. On picture 22. this is the required shape.

23. Put on a greased baking sheet (grease the baking sheet with oil), the total number of mini sambousek is 135 pieces.

24. Bake until light golden in color.

Yogurt Sauce

25. Rinse rice with cold water in several changes, then boil water and soak rice in boiled water for 10 minutes, then drain rice and rinse it with cold water in several changes and set aside.

26, 27, 28. In pot, add 8 cups drained yogurt (if you are not using Laban Arabi, you must add cornflour (cornstarch)). And keep stirring (use wooden spoon).

29, 30. Once yogurt begins to simmer as in picture 29, you can see the bubbles, add 7 cups water and salt to it.

31. Keep stirring.

32. Once yogurt begins to simmer, add rice to yogurt.

33, 34, 35, 36. Stir very well, then check the rice, once is cooked as picture 34, add the 135 pieces of mini sambousek , and keep stirring for 5 minutes.

Taqliyeh – Required

37. Meanwhile, melt 5 tbsp ghee.

38. Bring it to high heat.

39. Add 4 tbsp crushed garlic (we prepared garlic in step 1).

40. Keep until golden in color, do not brown.

41. Add the mixture of ghee and garlic to the pot.

42, 43. Stir for few seconds, turn off heat.

44. Serve Shesh Barak immediately in bowls

Garlic Coriander Taqliyeh – Optional

45. Melt ghee and bring to high heat.

46. Add crushed garlic.

47. Add finely chopped coriander leaves.

48. Then add this mixture on top of the Shesh Barak.

Above: Note The total number of mini sambousek is 135 pieces , any extra dough or filling, shape them as the above picture and bake and serve as appetizer (don’t add them to the yogurt sauce).

Shesh Barak

From: Family Recipe / Servings: 7 People
PDF Text Only / Print With Images

Mini Sambousek Dough 4 cups all purpose flour 1/4 tsp instant yeast 1/4 tsp salt 3 tbsp corn oil Warm Water Filling 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp ghee, for onion 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 tbsp ghee, for walnuts 1 tbsp ghee, for meat 500 g fat free ground lamb meat Salt Black pepper Yogurt Sauce 2/3 cup Egyptian short grain rice Boiling water, for soaking rice 8 cups drained yogurt (Laban Arabi) 7 cups water Salt Taqliyeh – Required 5 tbsp ghee 4 tbsp crushed garlic Garlic Coriander Taqliyeh – Optional Ghee Crushed garlic Finely chopped coriander leaves

Crush garlic and set aside (we will use this in the“Taqliyeh steps”). Mini Sambousek Dough Combine flour, yeast, sat, corn oil, and warm water. Knead to form a nice soft dough, and let it rest for two hours. Filling Finely chop onion, add salt to chopped onion, then rinse with water and strain. Heat 1 tbsp ghee and saute onion until transparent, then set aside. Finely chop walnuts. Heat 1 tbsp ghee, and add walnut and keep until golden in color, then remove, drain on paper towel and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp ghee. Add meat. Once the meat is cooked, add chopped onion. Add walnuts to meat, add salt and pepper and stir for few seconds then turn off heat, (Note the meat should be completely cooked before adding walnuts, when you cook meat, there’s water comes from the meat, but this water during cooking evaporates, so once this happen and the meat is completely cooked and no water remains you can add walnuts). Filling is ready. After two hours, bring the dough, and knead it. Transfer to a floured surface. Roll out the dough, and cut into small circles. Follow the pictures (16 – 22) to fill and shape. the dough, On picture 22. this is the required shape. Put on a greased baking sheet (grease the baking sheet with oil), the total number of mini sambousek is 135 pieces. Bake until light golden in color. Yogurt Sauce Rinse rice with cold water in several changes, then boil water and soak rice in boiled water for 10 minutes, then drain rice and rinse it with cold water in several changes and set aside. In pot, add 8 cups drained yogurt (if you are not using Laban Arabi, you must add cornflour (cornstarch)). And keep stirring (use wooden spoon). Once yogurt begins to simmer as in picture 29, you can see the bubbles, add 7 cups water and salt to it. Keep stirring. Once yogurt begins to simmer, add rice to yogurt. Stir very well, then check the rice, once is cooked as picture 34, add the 135 pieces of mini sambousek , and keep stirring for 5 minutes. Taqliyeh – Required Meanwhile, melt 5 tbsp ghee. Bring it to high heat. Add 4 tbsp crushed garlic (we prepared garlic in step 1) Keep until golden in color, do not brown. Add the mixture of ghee and garlic to the pot. Stir for few seconds, turn off heat. Serve Shesh Barak immediately in bowls Garlic Corinader Taqliyeh – Optional Melt ghee and bring to high heat. Add crushed garlic. Add finely chopped coriander leaves. Then add this mixture on top of the Shesh Barak

Notes and Tips

If you don’t have “Laban Arabi”, you have to add cornflour (cornstarch) to the yogurt to prevent curdling.

I have a big quantity of yogurt about five kilograms, so I drain all the quantity of yogurt in a cloth to dry (the day before you plan to make Shesh barak, drain the yogurt), then after all the quantity drained well to dry, I measured 8 cups drained yogurt for cooking yogurt sauce.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 15th, 2009 at 3:56 PM and is filed under Syrian Cooking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.